King of the Koopas: Something Wicked
by LemonyShepard
Summary: UPDATED! Prequel to King of the Koopas. A young Kammy Koopa and her best friend are attending Bycaster University. Once the most respected student in her class, she is now forced to solve a horrible murder mystery and stop a full-scale war.
1. The First March

**Yep, that's right guys! The LemonyShepard is back with one more King of the Koopas story! (Can anyone say obsessed?) This one is like the Episode 1 of them all, going way back to before the beginning (as the name of this chapter says). Back before the Koopa Segregation Law, King Wart, or even Mushroom Kingdom! Back in a time when Kamilia is a young student attending the infamous Bycaster University for Sorcery. Hope you enjoy it one last time.**

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_She could hear cries throughout the building. Screams of anger and hatred. People wanted their revenge. They wanted her dead._

_She ran down a corridor, too dark to see what was on the other side. She pulled out her wand and cast a lightening spell on the hallway, only to discover a dead end. She had nowhere to run._

_She grasped the broomstick that hung on a leather strap over her small shoulder. She needed to fly away, far away from this dreadful place. She needed to make up for the wicked deeds she had done and for cursing her own kind._

_She heard a door burst open, the cries suddenly louder. Torches and wooden clubs were in the hands of the students, enraged. They were being lead by the one man she thought she could trust. The one man who was always there for her. The one man who now wanted the witch dead._

_"There she is my students!" he cried, pointing a finger. "Now…kill her!"_

_Fear filled young Kamilia's heart as she jumped as high as she could and swung a leg over her broomstick, flying high over the heads of the witch hunters of Bycaster. She had been abandoned and had no where else to turn._

_Kamilia was being killed for being the only one who did the right thing._

**King of the Koopas: Something Wicked**

**Kammy's Story**

She awoke in a cold sweat, breathing heavy. Her long, platinum blonde hair was blowing in the cold wind that was bursting through her open window. She rubbed her dazzling violet eyes as she forced herself out of her warm bed to shut it.

Before she did so, she looked out the window. How unusual it was that the Western Winds were hitting Rougeport so early in the year. Usually, the legendary winds from the east struck the western region in early October, so, being June, it was easy to see why Kamilia was so concerned.

_'No, not concerned,'_ she corrected herself. _'Just interested.'_

When her books and papers began flying all over the room, the young Koopa decided to shut the window. Still she watched as a few Ravens struggled to fly east as the winds hit them head on. One even got hit with an extraordinary gust and hit a nearby building. Kamilia got a good laugh out of that.

She returned to bed, fearing for bags under her beautiful eyes. She needed to look her best for the next day. She and her roomie, Shoshina, were going to Bycaster University. Bycaster! She could hardly contain her excitement that night, but knew that she needed to keep up with her beauty rest.

As she laid her head down on her pillow, she began to think about the nightmare that woke her up in the first place. This wasn't the first time she had it. The dreams began a few days before her letter of acceptance for Bycaster came in the mail.

She couldn't forget it: thousands of flying creatures that she couldn't recognize soaring this way and that, screeching at the very top of their lungs, deafening the young Koopa. A sudden burst of fire and a loud crash, followed by the appearance of a terrible being, a creature so evil that it could've only been the Devil.

She had told her parents about her dreams and they, thinking it was a sign from Hell, performed an exorcism on their child. Upon doing so, they came to the realization that their child wasn't possessed, but simply highly talented in the magic arts. Upon learning that, they were overjoyed when she was accepted into Bycaster, whose alumni included such famous sorcerers as Tutankoopa and Koreye the Bold.

Kamilia looked over to the bed opposite of her, the warm sheets encasing her best friend, Shoshina, sleeping soundly, thoughts of Bycaster and the magnificent things she would learn there. Kamilia smiled and shut her eyes, her long eyelashes shimmering in the moonlight. Shoshi was always studying, even if school was out for the summer. Kamilia, on the other hand, was all about presence. As long as she looked great and people looked at her with jealousy, she didn't need knowledge.

Speaking of knowledge (or the pointlessness of it, rather) she decided that she was thinking far too much for two in the morning. She shut her mind down for the night as to get a great start that next morning.

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**Short this time, but only because I need a good idea to follow up on it. Please read and respond.**


	2. A Little Down Time

**WOW! For the longest of times, this site wouldn't let me upload this chapter! Craziness...now I'm just uber excited that it lives!**

**Alright, so the beginning to this story will be uber boring for the following reason: Everytime I write a story, I write a detailed synopsis for it in a notebook. Long story short, I lost that notebook. So, until I find it, I'm winging it. Bear with me.**

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The sun burst through the curtains as morning greeted the two Koopa girls. Kamilia rubbed her eyes lazily as she arose from her bed. The hot June air made her sweat over the night, much to her dismay. She had covered herself with layers of sheets as to keep herself warm while the Western Winds were hitting her.

She swung her sticky legs over the side of the divan and looked up at her roommate, Shoshina, already fully dressed and preparing herself for the big day. Kamilia looked over at her clock. Six a.m. She could hardly comprehend the task of getting up earlier than that, much less getting ready by then.

She groaned as she nearly fell out of her bed. She noticed Shoshi look over at her and grin.

"You do want to make a good impression on the faculty, don't you?" she asked her tired companion. Kamilia gave her a look.

"The faculty must teach me. _That_ is their job," she responded groggily. "However, it is not the job of my fellow students to befriend me. They are who I must impress."

Shoshina shook her head, still grinning, as she continued to sort through her wide array of books. Kamilia dragged herself from the bedroom to the washroom. Upon looking in the mirror she nearly screamed. There were, in fact, bags under her eyes, along with a small red mark by her nose. Quick as a wink, she removed a variety of face care products from her purse and applied them to her face. Within a matter of careful minutes, her face was back to its beautiful self.

After showering and fixing her hair, Kamilia came back out to the bedroom to pick out her outfit. She searched through her luggage, attempting to find something adorable, yet smart, with a hint of spunk in it. She came across a lovely little dress (white, of course) that would make even the faculty stare in awe.

She dressed herself and looked in the mirror. _'Stunning,'_ she thought, smiling and blowing a kiss to her reflection. _'Absolutely stunning. Even for my standards.'_ She then caught a glimpse of what Shoshina was wearing. A quite hideous solid navy coat and shirt combination. Without saying a thing (for Shoshi was still her best friend) Kamilia strolled out the door, blue purse in hand, to greet the day.

Upon walking outside, the two girls noticed that there was a carriage waiting for them, long and black, quite elegant for a trip to a school. Pulling the grand vehicle were two Yoshis, both light orange, and the driver being another Koopa, dressed in his finest.

Shoshina starred in amazement at the fact that she was to be driven in such a wondrous carriage. She had never even seen such a beautiful thing. Kamilia, meanwhile, simply handed her luggage to the driver and sat down inside. She was quite impressed as well, of course, but she dare didn't show it. She was, after all, supposed to be a high-class Koopa, a girl who was used to such things. She couldn't lower her defenses to show her amazement for a carriage. What would other high-classmen think?

As the Yoshis began running and the carriage took off down the cobblestone streets, Shoshina began shaking out of nervousness. Kamilia took notice to this and gasped her hand.

"You'll be fine, Shoshi," she whispered, looking straight ahead. Shoshi smiled and lowered her head.

"But…come on, Kammy, look at me and look at you," she said. "You have such a gift, while I…"

"Oh, don't give me that." Kamilia interrupted. "You have more brains than anyone else I know and, trust me, I know a lot of people."

Shoshina giggled at this and looked out the window of the carriage. She saw many different sorts of people, each a different race and person. They each had their daily lives to go on with. Shoshina thought about her life a few years down her road of life. What would she be? Would she be the next great sorceress of Het Naamkaartje? She could hardly wait to begin her classes and learn from the best of the best.

Kamilia, on the other hand, was anxiously awaiting their arrival to Bycaster for different reasons. She was wearing this dress for a reason and she felt as if it wasn't getting the recognition it deserved while in the back of a carriage. She needed people!

"So," Kamilia began, breaking the awkward silence that separated the two friends. "What kind of people do you think we will meet at Bycaster?"

Shoshina thought about this for a moment or two, then responded, "Most definitely a few Lakitus. Possibly even a Toad or two. Ravens will be the most abundant race there, of course, along with plenty of us Koopas."

Kamilia smiled at the thought of meeting up with a Raven. She had always envied them and their ability to fly. She was also interested in meeting up with a young Lakitu boy. They were known for being quite dashing. However, she cringed at the thought of the bulking, slimy Toads being in her school. Toads were known for being low-class farmers or servants. How could they even afford to make it in Bycaster?

They continued west, over Lake Peecheep (via boat, of course), which took a few hours. Kamilia nearly fell asleep during that slow boat ride and quickly realized why they needed to leave so early. Had they left any later they probably wouldn't have made it to Bycaster until sunset. Tired, she looked over at Shoshina, who was looking out the window at the ocean waves. They were crashing against the side of the enormous boat, signaling that the ship was going at great speeds as to get its passengers to Bycaster University on schedule.

After their carriage left the ship, Kamilia looked out her window and smiled so largely that she couldn't hide it. There, about a mile away, was a castle so big that she could see it perfectly even from such a distance. It stood proudly off in the distance, flags of different colors and sizes waving in the wind, seemingly greeting her. Made by beautiful silver bricks, Bycaster University looked more amazing than Kamilia had dreamed.

She looked over at Shoshina, who was also looking out the window, all-too nervous to make a comment on the beauty of the school. Kamilia looked at her again and placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Hey," she said. "Don't worry about it. You have the brains and, if you stick with me, you'll have the popularity, as well."

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**Yeah...you know what to do.**


	3. Bycaster

**Another little chapter (emphasis on little). Yep, I finished this one while attempting to get that darn second chapter to work. So is not accepting Word documents anymore?**

**Anyways, read and respond, peoples!**

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She stepped out of the carriage, trying to hide her enthusiasm, and began walking towards the magnificent building. Many people turned their heads and starred at her as she walked, head up and shoulders back, showing off her shapely figure and beautiful dress. She couldn't help but smile a tiny bit. She was already making a fantastic first impression.

Shoshina also walked out of the carriage, but not at graceful as Kamilia. She grabbed her luggage, which she accidentally dropped, and, after picking it all up again, starred at the castle in awe. Nobody watched her as she attempted to catch up with Kamilia, who was walking at a determined but modest pace.

"Are you as excited as I am?" Shoshina asked, her brown hair flapping in the steady wind. Kamilia gave her a tiny, yet gleeful grin.

"You have no idea," she responded.

They both walked into the main chamber where the head was standing. She was an older Koopa, probably in her late sixties, with a solid maroon shell and a head full of gray locks. She was dressed in a worn-out golden gown, definitely something Kamilia would never be seen dead in. She nodded as all of the students arrived.

"Welcome, freshmen!" she announced, her voice echoing over the hall. "My name is Professor Emmera and I am pleased to be the first to welcome you all to Bycaster University!"

There was a short pause in which very few people decided to clap, and then the Professor continued. "Bycaster is a school of wide variety, but we pride ourselves mostly in our sorcery classes and seminars. I am the head of the sorcery department, myself, and I simply cannot wait for the bright new sorcerers and sorceresses to attend my classes!"

Kamilia cringed. Emmera looked hideous and her voice was that of a dying Goomba. She had no desire to listen to such a grotesque voice, so she turned her attention over to a young Raven boy who was standing beside her.

His black feathers were very clean, shimmering in the sunlight, and his eyes were very attentive and focused on what Emmera was saying. In his right wing he held two books. Kamilia frowned. She didn't want to provoke a bookworm on her first day. He was, after all, here for studies and was paying very close attention to his head mistress. Kamilia yearned for a more dangerous young man. She turned her attention over to a Lakitu boy, quite handsome, she did admit.

He was sitting inside his Cloud, who looked as equally bored as its master, who had his head leaning on the back of his hand, his eyes nearly closed. She smiled and crept closer to him. He seemed like her type.

"So, you come all the way to Bycaster to catch up on your sleep?" she asked him quietly. Suddenly, the presence of a beautiful woman next to him awoke the Lakitu almost immediately.

"Well, I got this scholarship thing at my old school and my parents kinda made me come here." He responded, in a squeaky voice. She cringed. This Lakitu was nothing like the guys she had met back at Rougeport. Suddenly, up close, he looked much less attractive and he sounded so insecure. She gave a fake smile and slipped away back into the crowd.

"Nobody here seems to know how to enjoy themselves," she whispered to Shoshina, who was too busy listening to Emmera to respond.

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That night Kamilia attempted to make her room seem like home. She put up pictures of her loved ones, including a celebrity boy Koopa or two, and scattered her make-up all throughout the washroom. She removed all of her clothes neatly from her luggage and hung them all in her closet.

Shoshina, on the other hand, was busy with her trainee spell book, which she acquired from Professor Emmera after her lecture. Kamilia walked over to her, brushing her hair, which fell from the ponytail she had it in that morning past her shoulders.

"Shoshi, you need to relax," she snapped, a hint of frustration in her voice. "It's the first night and already you're studying spells and whatnot. Please, for my sake and yours, just call it a night."

Shoshi looked up at her friend, whose violet shell shimmered in the candlelight.

"Kamilia, please, I have a lot to prove here," Shoshi professed. "I need to prove myself to Professor Emmera and the rest of the Bycaster faculty. If I do even a so-so job here and I have to be sent back to Rougeport, I don't know what my parents will do to me."

"Relax, please," Kamilia was now practically begging. "Nobody else in the school is practicing magic. They're all at the Frosh party, where we should be. We should be meeting up with handsome guys, socializing with other high-class Koopas, meeting Lakitus!"

Shoshina looked less than interested.

"I don't care if you don't want to accompany me, Miss Shoshina," Kamilia said, putting her brush down and grabbing her roomie's hand. "But I do care if your social life is ruined. I will not have a ostracized friend."

As harsh as the statement seemed, Kamilia meant it out of devotion. Shoshina knew this and sighed.

"What should I wear to this party?" she asked.

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**Ah, the joys of peer pressure. Read and respond please!**


	4. A Hidden Talent

**Thanks to those who responded. Just wanted to let you guys know that you keep me going! So keep up them responses! You won't be disappointed.**

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As she descended down the stairs and into the ballroom, Kamilia began fixing Shoshina's hair and outfit, nitpicking every little detail.

"Are you sure this is what the higher-class girls are wearing?" Shoshi asked, looking down at her crystal ballroom dress. Kamilia nodded her head.

"Trust me, Shoshi, you'll be the life of the party," she responded, giving the layout of the outfit a double check. After giving her seal of approval, she motioned her friend into the ballroom.

Lights were flashing every which way in the darkened room, people of different colors and sizes dancing maybe a little too close to each other. Kamilia smiled and strolled on in, grabbing Shoshi's shivering arm. She casually walked up to a group of Ravens by the refreshment table.

"Hey, guys, some party, huh?" Kamilia asked, having to shout a little bit to have her voice heard over the music and the guests. One Raven in particular stood out of the crowd: The one that Kamilia had met during the Welcoming Speech that morning.

"Oh, yeah, it's a blast," he responded sarcastically. "What kind of music are they playing? Biggest Hits of Tutankoopa's Age?" They all laughed. The Raven held his wing out in front of Kamilia.

"My name is Raphael Raven the Third, the heir of the Raven Throne. And you are…?"

Kamilia took a slight bow before responding, "My name is Lady Kamilia Koopa from Rougeport." Raphael looked impressed.

"Rougeport, huh?" he said, raising his eyebrows. "So you must be an higher-classman, correct?" Kamilia nodded her head. Raphael looked behind the beautiful Koopa.

"And who is your friend?"

Shoshina immediately looked to the ground, rubbing her arms like she was cold. Kamilia grabbed her upper arm and pulled her forward. "This is Miss Shoshina Koopa, also from Rougeport, and my best friend."

Shoshi gave a slight wave and an awkward smile before shrinking back behind her friend. Raphael gave a slight chuckle.

"Well, she sure doesn't know how to act it," he giggled. The other Ravens began to laugh along, causing Shoshi's face to turn a bright red. Kammy, seeing the hurt in her friend's eyes, starred at Raphael in disbelief and anger.

"Come, Miss Shoshina, we don't have time for oafs like them," she said, flashing a horrible glare at the Ravens. Raphael, for one, looked guilty and somewhat ashamed, but followed his friends back to the dance floor.

Shoshi looked at Kamilia. "Thanks for that, Kammy," she said. "I told you I couldn't do this by myself."

Kamilia brushed off her shoulders. "Aw, don't mention it. That's why you're my friend. Who would I be able to help if you weren't here?" They both laughed before walking up to a group of Lakitus.

The night went by quite well after the Raven incident, Kamilia and Shoshina dancing and holding conversations with many different people. As the lights grew dimmer and more and more people began to leave, Shoshina considered calling it a night and going back to bed. Even after Kamilia rejected the idea, they decided to do so.

However, right before they were about to leave, another group of Koopas stepped before them and grinned.

"So, how are you liking it here at Bycaster so far?" one jet-black-haired girl asked. In her hand she held a wand.

Shoshina began to shiver again, but Kamilia simply smiled and responded, "Quite, thank you. However I'm afraid that we must retreat back to our rooms now. Emmera will not appreciate bags under our eyes."

The upperclassmen began to laugh. The girl waved her wand in the air in front of Shoshina's face.

"If you're worried about bags under the eyes, then I'm sure you'll simply die for some of these!"

A few more waves of the wand and a very bright light nearly blinded Shoshi, who grasped her face, suddenly burning. Upon releasing her face, Kamilia shrieked at her friend's condition. Hundreds of blemishes now seemed to consume it! The upperclassmen burst into laughter.

Kammy shot them a look. "Hazing at Bycaster? Hardly ladylike, you wench!" The girl with the wand grinned at Kamilia, waving her wand once again.

"Well, it _is_ entertaining, and it's not like Emmera is going to help you. She's already left and the only other freshman who hasn't is you and your zit-faced friend."

Kamilia's face grew red for her friend, who had suddenly become the center of attention. People of all sorts were pointing and laughing hideously at her poor condition. Even Raphael was cracking a grin. Growing angry, Kamilia forced the wand out of the girl's hand.

"Enough of this nonsense!" she yelled as she waved the wand around herself. "You are not to make a fool of me or anyone else, for that matter!"

"Give me my wand, you bitch!" the female Koopa cried out. "You don't even know how to use it!"

Light began to pour from the tip of the wand that Kamilia held tightly in her hand.

"I will put it to better use than humiliating a poor girl, that I promise you!" she shouted.

Suddenly, Kammy's eyes began to shine bright blue as the pointed the wand at the girl, whose dress began to shine the same shade. There was a bright flash, which made everyone scream in fear.

Shoshina ducked away as Kamilia held tightly onto the wand, fearful of what sort of power she had unleashed. However, when the light dimmed, the entire ballroom began to laugh at the other female Koopa, whose dress was no longer on her body, but laying on the floor next to her.

Her undergarments were the only thing covering the upperclassman, who was too stunned and shocked to do anything but scream in embarrassment and run out of the room, attempting to cover herself, her jet-black hair trailing behind her. People from all around the room began to approach Kamilia, who, by then, had dropped the wand and was holding her mouth, trying not to burst into laughter. Raphael touched her shoulder.

"You just teleported Ivy's dress right off her body!" he shouted with excited disbelief. "You, a _freshman_, cast a powerful spell on a junior! It was rather unorthodox, I'll admit, but still. How did you manage such a spell?"

Suddenly become the most popular person in the room, Kamilia held her chin up high and acted casually.

"Well, I knew that that wicked woman had to be put in her place. If Shoshina could not do so, then I was the only other person who could." She took a quick look behind her to see poor Shoshi, still covered in pimples, watching her from the doorway.

"But I did not do this for my own personal pleasure," she added quickly. "I did my good deed to aid a friend. I am not selfish, I am only loyal."

The people cheered and applauded for Kamilia, who smiled and absorbed her praise with high esteem. Shoshina, meanwhile, continued to stare at her friend, jealousy glowing in her already-emerald eyes. Feeling used, the poor Koopa stomped out the door and back to her room to study. She didn't care if she looked her best, so long as she did her best.

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**Next chappie will get more away from _Wicked_ mode and start getting into more recognizable characters and get back into _King of the Koopas_ mode. See ya then!**


	5. Visitors

**Man, these chapters are getting kinda boring, aren't they? Well, hopefully this chappie and the next few will kindle my fire a bit.**

**REVIEWS!**

**The Hero In Green: First of all, dude, I'm just happy that you've got yer account back up and running. Way to go, buddy! And I'm glad that you've kept up with all 3 of my KooK stories so far! Thanks again! And how was Wicked? Did you see the tour or in New York or what? Either way, a FANTASTIC musical!**

**Queen B of Randomness 016: Thanks for the compliments. And it's not a bad thing to be like Shoshi. She's cool...in her own little wallflowerish way )**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Hey again! Yes, Wicked mode is very easy to use on this story because they're both so alike in many many ways. But, yeah, I'm trying to get back to more Mario-istique style here, so bare with me 'til I do.**

**shadow-spawn180: Hey, dude! Well, like you said, everything has to get worse before it gets better. However, keeping with the tragic KooK style, a happy ending has a bleak future for this story. BUT things won't be all uber-emo-depressing. I'm sure I'll throw a joke or two in here somewheres!**

**ShadowDragon2005: Hm, we haven't "met" yet, but thanks for reaing and reviewing my story. Have you checked out the first two KooK stories? If not, you certainly should! Thanks again!**

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Raphael walked Kamilia to her room that night, his wing around her waist. His eyes were constantly on her as he listened to her talk of her past and hopes for her future. All the while, she couldn't keep a flirtatious smile off of her face. Here she was, a first year student on her first day, using spells, putting obnoxious juniors in their place, and walking to her room with a highly handsome Raven. She couldn't have asked for a better start to the semester.

As they reached Kammy's room, Raphael faced her, his yellow eyes locking with hers. Kamilia felt a rush through her body as her heart began to beat faster and faster with each word he spoke.

"I had a great time tonight," he said. "You really are something. How'd you like to accompany me and a few of my friends to Shiver City? We hear there's some pretty incredible sorcery shows put on there."

Kamilia gave an excited smile and nodded her head. "That'd be great." She said. Raphael smiled as well, moving in closer.

"Well…good-night, Lady Kamilia" he whispered, still moving closer to the female Koopa, whose heart was beating faster.

"Please…call me Kammy," she responded as they both moved in for a kiss. The most remarkable kiss that Kamilia had ever experienced in her life. She was a little fearful at first, thinking that Raphael's beak would be difficult to kiss, but quickly realized that it had an erotic sort of mystery about it, and immediately fell in love with the young Raven boy.

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She strolled into her room, arms waving, her vocal cords humming a song that was stuck in her head. She spun around in a small circle, flowing her dress. She was having the time of her life! She dressed, removed her make-up, and collapsed on her bed, still smiling. She let out a big, dreamy sigh.

"So, I assume that your evening was enjoyable?"

Kamilia nearly jumped at the sound of another voice. She turned around to see Shoshina, sitting up on her bed reading a book, her face consumed by her big, round glasses. Kamilia gave another distant smile.

"Oh, it was, Shoshi," she sighed. "It's such a shame you left so early. You could've walked with me and Raphael Raven." Shoshina gave a sarcastic chuckle.

"You would not have appreciated my company, Kamilia, and you know it," she replied. Kamilia looked appalled.

"What are you saying, Shoshi?" she inquired. "That I would prefer Raphael's company to yours?"

"That's exactly what I am saying," her roomie responded, getting back to her studies. Kamilia jumped off of her bed and walked right up to Shoshina, sticking her face nearly a foot away from her roommate's.

"Well, I'm sorry if we have a little…_chemistry_ between us, but-"

"Chemistry?" Shoshi asked, giving out a small laugh. "I know chemistry, Kamilia. If _anything_, you guys are, like…advanced trigonometry!"

Slightly confused by Shoshi's statement, Kamilia hesitated before striking back to her defense. "So we like each other…big deal? He's a boy and I am a lady. That's the way it's supposed to work, right?"

Shoshina shot Kamilia a look, a slight glare in her glasses made her look even more menacing. "You two had just met, no more than three hours ago. You're making it out to seem like he's been your fiancé for six months."

Kamilia gasped. "_I do not_!" she yelled. Shoshina rested her head on her palm and tried to continue.

"Look, Kamilia, I guess this is just going back to my original fear: I'm never going to be as…well…perfect as you." Kamilia's eye's softened up as her roommate continued. "You always get the boys, you always get the friends, you always get…all the attention at a party…"

"Oh, is this about tonight with Ivy?" she asked, failing to hide a smile at the memory. Shoshina didn't answer but, instead, went back to her book. Kamilia rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You needn't worry about popularity now, Shoshi," Kammy stated, fixing her friend's frizzled hair. "It's only the first day. Besides, it's not like _you're_ here for friends. You're here to learn, to educate yourself, to become the next great sorceress."

Shoshi had a lot to say, but decided that it was pointless to do so at that point. She simply put on a fake smile, nodded her head, and said, "You're right. Thank you, Kamilia."

Kammy smiled and tilted her head slightly, a pose that made her look simply more adorable than before. "That's what friends are for!"

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That night, Kamilia had another dream. Though she couldn't remember this one, she knew that it must've been like all the others. She walked over to her window to relax and get her mind off of her premonition. The night air was cool, but not dreadfully freezing, and the clouds had just parted, revealing a half moon.

The Koopa girl starred at the stars, wishing on a few of them. Most of her wishes were of her and Raphael, but one of them, at least, was of Shoshina. It was a very small wish, so small that, a few seconds later, Kamilia couldn't remember what it was, but it was a wish nonetheless.

Suddenly, one of the stars began to move. Curious, Kamilia walked out onto the balcony to observe the sky better. She was on the fifth floor, so she was quite a ways up, but her eyes were focused only on the sky.

Suddenly, another one moved. Then another! They all seemed clustered around the half moon before they began rocketing downward. One of the stars was getting larger and larger as it approached the planet. Her eyes filled with shock as it got so large that the fire emerging from it began to blind her! It disappeared behind a mountain some many miles away and _CRASH!_

There was a small tremor, an earthquake that was just big enough to awaken Shoshina. Kamilia, startled, continued to look at the sky at the shifting stars. To her great relief, no others made their way down to Het Naamkaartje.

Shoshina opened the window and walked out onto the balcony to accompany her friend. She was tired and shivering, but managed to ask a question in her groggy voice.

"What happened?" she mumbled, her eyes hardly opened. Kamilia didn't face her roomie, but kept starring at the sky.

"I…really have…no idea."

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**Read and review please and thank you.**


	6. Bad Day Discoveries

**Yep, here's the next chappie. First of all, I just realized that this is chapter 6 and I'm not even _close_ to being _close_ to being done! But, hey, hopefully that means it'll be longer than the original _KooK_! Wouldn't _that_ be something?**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: All I have to say is, thank you uber much for your idea involving Shiver City. I seriously hadn't even thought of the Crystal King before. Now I'll have another origin on my hands! Thank again!**

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That next morning, Kamilia awoke slightly later than she should have. Shoshina was already gone and at her first class by the time her roomie woke up. Hardly even remembering that she was at Bycaster, she stirred in bad a bit before forcing herself up. She dragged herself to the washroom, her feet simply not wanting to cooperate at that hour. Upon looking at her morning face in the mirror, she suddenly remembered where she was. Cursing at herself loudly, she jumped into the shower, nearly slipping. She washed up, dressed, and grabbed her schoolbag.

She had the worst trouble navigating the halls of the enormous school. She was constantly poking her head in different rooms and asking herself why a school would need such a large number of rooms.

Suddenly a chorus of ear-shattering bells, scattered through the hallways, began to ring. Kamilia was confused as to why at first, and then realized that they were the class-switching bells. Students emerged out of their classrooms like scared ants. Before she knew it, Kamilia was stuck in a stream of enormous Toads, sweaty and stinky, who had just had athletic training.

The giant Toads towered over the small Koopa girl, who was forced to run under their large, sticky legs in order to get past them. Nearly gagging at the horrendous stench of the hulking brutes, she finally made it to a hall marked "Sorcery Wing."

Sighing with relief, she ran up to a room, hoping to see someone from the party the night before. Instead, because she was having what must've been the worst day of her entire existence, she ran into another Koopa girl, who was chatting with a few of her friends. Kammy inhaled sharply at the very sight of her.

Ivy saw her and immediately became enraged. Storming up to her, Ivy pulled out her wand and held it to Kammy's throat.

"How dare you come back here, you freshman!" she screamed, obviously attracting the attention of a few nearby teachers. Kammy's eyes kept darting down at the wand, which could immediately ruin her oh-so fragile reputation. Her voice, however, remained strong.

"Look, Ivy, I apologize for last night, but I simply need to find my sorcery class this hour. I already missed my history period and I don't wish to miss anymore."

Ivy gave a grim smirk. "Not before I give you what you deserve," she sneered.

"Miss Ivy Thorburn!" Professor Emmera shrieked as she burst through the door. The two girls spun their heads around, Ivy immediately hiding her wand behind her shell. Her eyes instantaneously went from deadly to almost-innocent. Emmera, however, could see through her disguise well enough.

"Yes, Professor Emmera?" she asked sweetly, slapping a fake smile on her face. Emmera lowered her brows.

"Do not try to fool me again, Miss Thorburn." She scowled. "Report to the Wizard's office immediately."

Flashing Kammy a look of loathing, Ivy did as she was told. Emmera placed a shoulder on Kamilia's shoulder.

"Are you alright, girl?" she asked. Kamilia nodded, smiling so large, unable to hide her joy. She had just bested Ivy twice within the span of twenty-four hours.

"Um, Professor, may I ask you where my sorcery class is?" she asked.

"But of course." Emmera responded, opening a book that was under her arm. She placed some tiny glasses on her face and then asked, "What is your name?"

"Lady Kamilia Koopa."

After reading a few pages, her face lit up and said, "Well, Lady Kamilia, you're classroom is right here."

Dread began to fill Kammy's mind as she realized that her sorcery class was the same as Ivy's. Her shoulders dropped.

_'This is going to be a long semester.'_

* * *

The day was longer than Kamilia hoped it should've been. Raphael wasn't in any of her classes, and Shoshina was only in her history, which she missed. She dragged her tired body back to her room, where Shoshina was reading a newspaper on her bed. She looked content with her day, which made Kammy sick.

"Bad day?" Shoshi asked her friend. Kammy shot her a dreary look.

"Don't wanna talk about it," she slurred back. Shoshina smiled and went to her reading. She seemed very interested in the front page article.

"Kamilia, come look at this," Shoshi insisted. Kammy, however, was slumped in a chair, still getting over the horrid day. She rolled her head in her roomie's direction.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It says here that a new race was discovered today in the sewage pipes." Shoshi reported. "It was described as being tall, with long legs and tan-colored skin. It called itself a Human."

"Wow." Kammy said sarcastically, not really caring about some alien species. Shoshina, however, was fascinated.

"'The Human was discovered in the sewage systems underneath Goomba Village this morning, looking tired and dehydrated.'" Shoshi read. "'After eating and drinking, the creature immediately went to sleep. We can only speculate that the Human had traveled a great long distance'…amazing."

By the time Shoshina was done reading the article, Kamilia had fallen into a deep sleep. Her roomie, however, was too curious about the article to even think of sleep. There was a knock at the door and, after absorbing a few more words from the article, Shoshi went to answer it.

"Oh, hello. I had forgotten that Kamilia had a roommate. Do you know where she is, by any chance?"

It was Raphael Raven. Shyness suddenly overcame Shoshina as she began to shiver a bit. However, this time she managed to at least form a sentence.

"She's…Yes, she's asleep, but…I could, um…tell her you came by," she stuttered.

Raphael grinned a little bit. "Oh, no, it's alright. I was just coming by to see if she wanted to walk with me down to Goomba Village. The Human has finally woken up and is beginning to talk."

Shoshina's face lit up as she smiled and grabbed the Raven's wing. For some reason, the shyness dissolved at the very mention of the Human.

"Come on!" she cried excitedly. Raphael gave a stunned smile as they began sprinting down the hallway.

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**Aw, Shoshina and Raphael...cute. I dunno if it'll happen that way though. My characters have taken on lives on their own and they're going crazy! Read and respond!**


	7. A Human

**I just realized what I'm doing differently with this story: I'm going a LOT slower. A lot of my fans comment on my speed, saying that I take my stories too fast. This one has a lot of ground to cover, but I'm going at a much slower pace. Hopefully, I won't bore my audience to death before I'm done.**

**This isn't my best quality (the second part of this chappie, Kamilia's part, is _much_ better than Shoshi's). I'm not about to go into another "I wrote this chappie at 2 in the morning" sob-story (even though that is the case), so just enjoy!**

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Dozens of Lakitus were floating many feet above the hundreds of heads that were clustered around the Goomba Healer's Hut. People left and right were muttering rumors and ideas back and fourth, discussing many different theories on the creature. One group in particular claimed that it was the Messiah sent from Star Haven.

Shoshina listened to these theories with great interest, sometimes forgetting that Raphael was accompanying her. She would lean over to him from time to time and ask him which ideas he thought were true. He would respond by shrugging his shoulders and muttering an I-don't-know sort of sound.

Finally, after an hour or two of uncomfortable silences between him and Shoshi, Raphael was relieved to see the door to the Healer's Hut open up. A hush overcame the large crowd as a small Goomba woman walked out. She took a long glance behind her, as if making sure her patient was alright, then introduced herself to the audience.

"Greetings, everyone!" she announced over the crowd. "My name is Goomaria the Gentle. Now, I realize that you are all here this afternoon to see the alien creature known as the Human. I wish for none of you to grow loud or aggressive when it comes out. We do not wish to upset it in any way. It has had a long journey."

Whispered streamed through the audience as Goomaria finished her speech and looked back into the hut. She whispered something, too quietly to hear, and turned back to the crowd.

Then it emerged. Compared to the hut, it was gigantic. Though they all tried hard, nobody could help gasping in awe at the creature. Its legs were long and strong, its skin a tan-peach color. Its head was covered with a mop of grotesque-colored hair, the hue of mud after a rainy day. Its eyes were an icy blue and, underneath its long, large nose, a thin brown mustache. Its eyes squinted at the sudden bright sun it was exposed to. The Human looked out into the crowd.

"Hello there."

They all gasped again and backed away, with the exception of Shoshina, whose mouth was hanging open in utter shock and amazement. She had never even dreamed of a creature this bizarre, no claws, scales, wings…yet there it was standing right in front of her.

Goomaria waddled up to the Human and starred up into its eyes. "Tell us, Human, if you have the strength," she began. "What is your name and why are you here?"

The Human looked at Goomaria, who was as tall as its ankle, at the very most. The creature responded, in its deep, accented voice, "My name is Gregory Toadstool. I am here searching for a friend of mine. Her name is Paulina Nariz, and she was last seen exploring some ancient tunnels underneath our home city of New York." His eyes darted around the large group of creatures, bizarre to his eyes, and asked, "Has anyone seen a girl identical to me?"

Everyone in the audience began to murmur and whisper to each other. They didn't know what to say. None of them had seen a Human girl, but if Gregory Toadstool knew this, would he grow angry? Destructive? None of them knew.

"We have not seen a girl of your species," a small voice called from the crowd. "But we will search high and low for her. That I can assure you."

Everyone in the audience shot their heads around and starred at Shoshina, fear and anger in their eyes. They thought she was driven mad to promise a stranger such a thing. The Koopa girl, however, looked confidently into the Human's blue eyes. He smiled.

"Thank you, kind creature," he responded. There was a slight glimmer in his eye as he lowered his brows and grinned. He then retreated back to his hut. The crowd exploded in conversation.

"Did you see the size of his feet? He could crush us Goombas with one step!"

"Looking into his eyes were like looking into a hurricane."

"I thought he was rather handsome…"

"Are you joking? He made Toads look attractive!"

Shoshina let out a sigh and began to retreat from the large group. Raphael turned his head and ran after her.

"Shoshina!" he cried, grasping her wrist with his wing. Shoshi was trembling like a leaf on a windy day, and it sounded as if she was holding back sobs. The Raven cocked his head and blinked.

"Shoshi, what's wrong?" he asked. The Koopa slowly turned her head and whipped her eyes. She managed a smile.

"I'm sorry, Raphael, I…I don't know what came over me," she responded, her voice shaking. "I…I had never spoken in front of a large audience like that before."

The Raven smiled and hugged the trembling Koopa. "Well, if it helps any, you did a great job." Shoshina managed to giggle beneath her sobs and buried her face in Raphael's shoulder. Among all of those people, he felt the safest.

* * *

Kamilia awoke in the dead of night. She looked over at her roomie, who had a smile on her face, for once. Kamilia was glad. Shoshina needed to have some happiness in her life once in a while.

However, upon taking a closer look, she also realized that Shoshi had something on her lips. Lipstick? Deep red, too! Why would Shoshina be wearing lipstick? Girls only wore lipstick when they were trying to attract a boy. But…who would Shoshi be trying to attract? Surely not somebody _she_ knew.

Too restless to return to sleep, Kamilia walked over to the window. Who kept opening it? She slammed it shut, wincing as the cracking sound pierced the quiet night. She then rested an elbow on the windowsill and starred at the stars again. It was at that moment that her mind began to race intensely. Did that new species have anything to do with the shooting star she had seen the night before?

Suddenly, a shadow on the ground caught her attention. Her eyes shot downward and darted throughout the large campus. She could've sworn that she had seen a small figure dashing from one tree to the other. Was her imagination simply running wild because she hadn't had time to dream yet?

She walked over to her bed and laid down again. Her mind…was it playing tricks on her on purpose? She closed her eyes, feeling her eyelashes flutter. Maybe magic was testing her to see if she was good enough to be a sorceress? Maybe she needed to read and practice more, like Shoshina?

Suddenly, she heard a bump in the corner of the room. Her eyes burst open as she squinted in the darkness to see what caused the sound. She then gasped. A chair was floating in midair! She let out a small yelp and hid underneath her sheets.

And the chair collapsed.

Curious, Kamilia poked over her sheets and starred at the chair, wooden and now somewhat damaged, laying in the corner of her room. She tilted her head. What was all that about?

She cautiously crawled out of bed and approached the object. It was completely lifeless, not showing a hint of levitation. Kamilia thought back to the seconds before the chair began to float. She was thinking, quite hard, on magic. Maybe…just maybe…

The Koopa girl closed her eyes again and concentrated. She even held a claw out before the chair, hoping it would float again. Nothing.

A coincidence? Was the chair really haunted by the shadow that darted from the trees outside? Kamilia couldn't think about such things anymore. She could already feel the bags forming underneath her violet eyes. She crawled back into bed, covering her face with the sheets, and counted Cheep Cheeps until she went to sleep.

Right when her breathing got steady and light, the chair began to levitate again.

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**Well, Shoshi's got a thing for Raphael and Kamilia has a knack for levitation spells. Next chappie: A dark discovery in Bycaster and a little trip to Shiver City to ask the King all about it. (Man, I'm so excited because I actually have some good origins and side-stories coming up soon!)**

**read and respond! w00t!**


	8. Shiver City Surprises

**Alright, so this chappie is a tad longer, so I hope you enjoy it. I also found my synopsis notebook, so I know where I'm going with this story now.**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: You've met some pretty good guesses in your last review. You'll discover who Toadstool's missing friend is in this chapter!**

**shadow-spawn180: I can't give away Gregory's destiny just yet, but your last review was on the right track. As for a sequel to _Because I Knew You_...well...it _was _one of my most popular stories, topping even the original _KooK_...I'll have to think about it. **

**Queen B of Randomness 016: As I said before, Gregory is a Toadstool, but is he _the_ Toadstool? You'll just have to wait and find out.**

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That morning they all began their long, journey to the legendary, bustling Shiver City. Raphael had agreed to lead their small group, which included Kamilia, Shoshina, and Raphael's two closest friends, Pintell and Gorr Raven. They were all talking about their classes and what they would be majoring in.

"Well, I am majoring in offensive electric spells," Raphael began. "I come from a long line of Ravens that had mastered almost every single elemental major that there is, but electric spells were always the hardest. I will be the one Raphael Raven that masters it first!"

He was talking triumphantly, in a joking sort of way that made Shoshina and Kamilia giggle. Gorr pushed himself in front of Raphael, stuck his plump chest out, and stated, "I am to be majoring in defensive creation spells! I could, in fact, create a lovely bouquet of flowers for you, madam." He pulled his wand out from underneath his wing and gave it a few whirls. After chanting an unrecognizable phrase, he flicked his wand in Kamilia's direction. However, instead of flowers emerging, three Cheep Cheeps appeared.

Gasping and backing away from the smelly, disgusting creatures, Kamilia gave a slight yelp. Shoshina and Raphael laughed out loud at the humorous sight while Gorr desperately attempted to make the fish disappear again.

Pintell proudly walked up, kicking the fish creatures out of his path, and pulled out his wand. He nimbly waved his wand and fried the Cheep Cheeps into fish sticks. He grinned triumphantly before placing his wand back under his wing.

"Offensive fire spells for me," he stated coolly. "Anyone who knows me will tell you I like it hot."

Upon giggling some more at Pintell's statement, Raphael turned back to Kamilia.

"So, what is it that you two are majoring in?" Kamilia blinked and looked at the Raven. She had no clue what sort of spells she would be majoring in. She didn't know that there were different kinds. She thought hard until, finally…

"Levitation spells," she finally stated. "Offensive, I guess."

The Ravens stopped and stared at the beautiful Koopa girl before grinning at each other and cheering. Kamilia's eyes widened with confusion as Raphael and Pintell both put their wings around her shoulders.

"You want to learn about making things fly, m'lady?" Pintell chimed, flexing his wing. "You're obviously talking to the masters."

"Hang your classes! Hang your books! Hang your teacher's stupid looks!" Raphael shouted happily. "_We'll_ teach you everything there is to know!"

Gorr leapt up behind them and started to hover a foot or two above Kamilia's head, the wind from his flapping wings blowing everyone's hair this way and that.

"Step number one," he chuckled. "Grow a set of wings! Think you can manage?"

"Well, I do love a challenge." Kamilia chuckled.

They all started laughing at themselves. Shoshina, in fact, was the only one not smiling. She stepped out in front of the group and shouted out, "Well, _I'm_ majoring in defensive transformation spells!"

Again, the group stopped, even Kamilia. Even she had heard the rumors of how difficult it was to conjure up a transformation spell, much less use it defensively. This time, Pintell walked up to the less-pretty Koopa girl.

"Miss Shoshina, you do realize that transformation spells are nearly impossible to master...right?" Pintell said. "It's said that not even our Great Wizard of the West knows how to use them." Shoshina tried to smile, but instead simply kept walking, her nose in the air.

"Well, I just love a _challenge_, that's all," she said, dripping with sarcasm, as the Ravens began running to catch up with her. Kamilia stayed back a few feet, starring at Shoshina with curiosity. Why was she acting so funny around these boys? Maybe she liked one of them? Pintell, probably.

_'But…why is she acting so coldly towards me?'_ Kamilia asked as she began to catch up.

* * *

Shiver City: A world of vast imagination and beauty, crystal bricks making up the wondrous buildings and sights to behold. A light snowfall constantly covered the marble streets with a thin sheet of frozen water crystals, and icicles hung like stalactites from every windowsill. Races of every shape and size where consuming the streets, each with their own purpose and life. Shoppers walked in and out of small shops, leaving with large boxes in hand. Tourists stopped by street artists who would gladly paint their pictures for a pretty penny.

Kamilia and Shoshina didn't bother hiding their impressed looks of excitement and awe as they strolled through the winter-consumed playground. They watched as Penguins did death-defying tricks on their ice skates. They laughed as a few Goomba's tried to imitate the Penguins, failing miserably. They observed the Lakitu mothers, who were shopping for their children back home.

Raphael walked up and put his wings around each of the Koopa girl's shoulders, nodding up ahead. "Take a look at that beauty," he said.

The girls gasped in amazement. Right in front of them was a castle so beautiful, so marvelous that, despite its smaller size, put Bycaster to shame. Two large, white Clubba guards stood at the large, ice-covered door that marked the entrance to the Crystal Palace.

Raphael leaned in and looked directly into Kamilia's pretty face. "Sure is lovely, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded, a look of deep thought on her face.

_'The Crystal Palace…home of our King,'_ she thought. _'He is to know everything that occurs here in Silver Kingdom. Should I tell him about the star that I saw fall from the heavens? Should I tell him about the shadow that I saw behind the tree?'_

She chuckled to herself. _'I think I'm just over worried. I'm sure the Crystal King has little time to deal with my imaginings.'_

"Wait a minute," Shoshina started. "Why wasn't the King at the first public appearance of the Human?"

Pintell responded, "The Crystal King was present when the Human was first discovered. Since then, he had been locked away in his castle, stressing over his marital dilemma."

Kamilia cocked her head. "Marital dilemma?" she echoed. "I didn't even know he was married."

"He isn't," Gorr stated. "That's the problem. There was a sort of loophole discovered in the kingship papers. It turns out that the Crystal King cannot rule over the Silver Kingdom without an Ice Queen."

"Ice Queen?" Shoshina questioned. Pintell nodded.

"Yes, it seems that, without a bride, the Crystal King is…"

His sentence was interrupted by the sound of trumpets sounding near the castle. All heads turned and mouths shut as a Duplighost walked out onto a balcony overlooking the city. He cleared his throat and unfolded a parchment.

"Citizens of Silver Kingdom!" he shouted. "The Crystal King!"

At that moment, a tall, handsome man walked out onto the balcony, wearing robes only royalty would be seen wearing. A beautiful crown rested on his head of gray hair, but the strangest thing about him was his resemblance to a Human, with the exception of his shimmering silver skin. His eyes were also those of sapphires, gleaming in the sunlight.

"My people!" he announced. "I have an important announcement to make. I have finally chosen my bride!"

Following a few seconds of shock, the entire city burst into cheers and applause. Shoshina leaned in to Raphael's ear. "How lucky we are to come to the city for this announcement?" she said. However, the Raven didn't seem to hear her, leaving poor Shoshina a little less excited.

"Who is she? Bring her out! Show us!" the citizens cried out. The Crystal King gave a hearty laugh.

"That I shall, my good people. Love, would you please come out and introduce yourself to your new kingdom!"

The crowd was excited, balancing on pins and needles as a young girl walked out onto the balcony. Suddenly, everyone's smiled faded and fear filled their hearts. People gasped and one even fainted. Kamilia starred up at the balcony, her eyes growing ever wide as the girl's image got clearer.

"Greeting, citizens of Shiver City!" the gorgeous, blonde-haired Human girl shouted. "I am to be your new Ice Queen, Paulina Nariz!"

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**I love cliff-hangers Read and Respond!**


	9. The Real Reason

**Alright, s****o this chappie is hardly my best, but it does dive deeper into Toadstool's purpose here. Enjoy if you wanna.**

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The rest of that week was uneventful, save for a few minor spats between Kamilia and Ivy. Nobody had seen Pintell or Gorr in a while. Raphael continued seeing Kamilia by day, only to bring Shoshina home with him at night. The classes were rough on the two girls. Simple homework assignments turned into nights of hell.

"Fly away, lampshade!" Kamilia said as she waved her wand at the lamp. Though a spark of light shimmered from the tip of the wand, the lamp didn't move an inch. Kammy threw her wand up against the wall.

"This is just too frustrating for three in the morning!" she exclaimed as she crawled into her bed. "Shoshina, how can you manage to keep your brain awake at such a late hour?"

Her roomie, deep in concentration, didn't answer. Instead, she focused hard on a flower inside of a pot. It was an orange flower with two beautiful green leaves sprouting from its firm stem. Shoshina's wand was being waved around the flower, light slowly consuming it.

Kammy watched in awe as Shoshi chanted a few words under her breath and flicked her wand at the flower, which instantly transformed into a small, spotted egg. Shoshina sighed with relief and, seeing that her spell was successful and her homework completed, took the egg and placed it in her schoolbag.

"Did you just transform that Fire Flower into a Yoshi egg?" Kamilia demanded in awe. Shoshina nodded.

"It took almost all of my energy and concentration to manage it, so if you wouldn't mind leaving me be?" she demanded, in an annoyed tone. Kamilia was taken aback, but did as her room mate requested.

For some reason, ever since they arrived at Bycaster, Shoshina had been acting so coldly towards Kammy. She didn't know the reason, but she didn't like it. She also knew that Shoshina had been wearing some of her make-up and asking her more and more for fashion advice. It was clear that she was doing so for a boy's attention, but who…?

Kammy gasped. She looked over at Shoshi, who was now asleep. She had noticed that she had been spending a lot of time around Raphael lately, and she definitely seemed to have a fancy for him. Was Raphael…cheating on her with Shoshina?

She closed her eyes, trying to shake the thought away. She tried to think about something else. Anything else. But thought of Raphael's soft feathers, his deep, dark eyes, and the kiss they shared on their first night. Was Shoshina stealing all of that from her?

Unable to sleep, she got up from her bed and walked back over to her balcony. Why did this place comfort her so? She starred back up at the sky, remembering the night the star fell from the sky, the shadowy figure emerging from the trees. This entire school seemed very strange from the moment she had arrived.

This made her think: _Did everything happen upon my arrival? Is my destiny linked to this school in any way?_

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That next day, Shoshina walked to her Geography class with an unusually leisurely pace, her book bag strap hanging over her shoulder. She admitted to herself that she was exhausted, but it was worth it to see the expression on Professor Emmera's face when she placed the Yoshi egg on her desk. She was satisfied with herself for the time being.

She walked through the garden that day, admiring the exotic plants and trees. She recognized a few from her books, especially the Dingle plant from Yoshi Island. What a bizarre flower that was, what with the jingle bells hanging from its leaves. Shoshina's curiosity suddenly got the best of her as she walked over to the awkward plant. She bent down to her knees and tapped one of the jingle bells. It rung quietly, and the Koopa girl gave a slight smile.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

The sudden voice made Shoshina jump and spin around. Upon seeing the source of the voice, she felt her heart flutter. The sudden image of Gregory Toadstool, sitting by a fountain, quite shocked her, and made her feel remarkably uneasy. She had never seen him up close before, and his alien appearance was definitely going to take some getting used to. She also didn't know what sort of tricks he had up his sleeve, especially after she promised to help him find his lost friend.

"Gregory Toadstool?" she said carefully. "What brings you here to Bycaster?"

The Human gave a slight smirk. "I was getting bored inside that old Goomba's hut," he replied. "So I decided to come by here, where it's peaceful, yet...different."

Shoshina nodded. "Yes, Bycaster is the most beautiful school in all of Het Naamkaartje." Toadstool gave the Koopa a puzzled look.

"Het Naamkaartje?" he echoed. "Is that the name of this nation?" Shoshina nodded.

After what seemed like hours of awkward silence, Gregory split the silence by asking, "What you told me a few weeks ago…that you would find my Paulina. Were you speaking the truth?"

Shoshina felt her heart racing again. What was she too say? The Human had come all this way looking for his friend (a female, no less) who was now engaged to be married to the Crystal King. Would he be angry? She was about to lie…but couldn't. His eyes...she could almost tell that he could see through dishonest words, as if he could peer into her very mind. She swallowed hard and then responded.

"Yes, I've seen her," she answered, looking at the ground. "She is in Shiver City…to be wed to the king."

Upon finishing her sentence, Shoshina closed her eyes and braced herself for some sort of cry. Instead, the Human have a slight chuckle.

"Figures," he responded coolly, eyes closed.

Shoshina was shocked by the stranger's reaction. She gave herself a pinch in the arm to make sure she wasn't dreaming before saying, "Do you not find anything wrong with her choice?"

Toadstool shrugged.

The Koopa girl narrowed her eyes. "But is she not the reason you have come here?" The Human opened his eyes suddenly, wide at first, but then they went soft as he looked back at her.

"Shoshina…it _is_ Shoshina, isn't it?" he asked. The girl nodded. "That's what I thought. Come sit next to me for a moment, if you don't mind."

The Koopa did as she was told, though she was shaking like the bells on the Dingle plant. She didn't know if she should trust this alien enough to be sitting so close.

"Shoshina, I must ask you to keep this completely secret. Just between us, alright?" he asked in a quieter tone. Shoshi nodded again, her black ponytail bobbing. The Human grinned. "Alright…we've come to this country -connected to my world, yet not a part of it- to find a talisman."

Shoshina cocked her head. "What sort of talisman?"

Toadstool lowered his voice now to a near whisper. "One of unimaginable power. Gold in color, shaped like a mushroom. I've searched high and low for it, and my journey has brought me here. To...Het Nam...cart...jay?"

"But why?" the Koopa girl pondered. "What does the talisman mean to you that you would dedicate your life to finding it?"

Toadstool quickly glanced around the fountain, to make sure they were not being eavesdropped upon.

"It is said that the wearer of the talisman would become like a god, able to destroy any and all foes in his path."

The thought made Shoshina shiver a bit. "Why would anybody want such power?"

Toadstool looked at his feet before continuing his story. "You see, Shoshina, where I'm from, people fight over power constantly. Wars consume the lands and blood stains the ground. Men killing men, women killing women, children being slaughtered simply because they cannot defend themselves."

Shoshina continued shaking as Toadstool continued his bloody tale. "There is a man, Shoshina. A bloodthirsty man who wants to take control over my world. A man who has killed so many, and will continue to kill until somebody stops him." He lowered his head. "That's where the talisman comes in."

"If you can take possession of the talisman, than you would return to your world and stop this man?" Shoshina guessed. Toadstool smiled and nodded.

"Tell me, girl," he began. "Do you know where one could find such a talisman?"

Shoshina shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't, Gregory Toadstool," she admitted. "But if you are looking for such a treasure, I'm sure the Crystal King could assist you."

Toadstool immediately shook his head. "No, no, I mustn't ask him," he responded. "He is not to know of the talisman. Nobody is to know of my real purpose here in the Silver Kingdom."

Shoshina narrowed her brows, but nodded her head anyways. "I understand," she said, as the bells began ringing throughout the campus. Shoshi gasped, quickly standing up.

"I'm sorry, Gregory Toadstool, to rush off like this," she cried, already running across the garden. "But I can't be late!"

"It's quite alright, Shoshina!" he yelled back. He gave a slight grin and folded his arms. Then, much softer, he said, "You will be seeing plenty more of me as the days pass."

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**Yep...respond, peeps. Thanks and wish my busy future luck!**


	10. The Properties of a Soul

**So, for the longest time this site wouldn't let me upload this chapter. But I was persistent so here it is! It's not very good, I'll admit, but the summer's over so I know that I gotta get back into the old swing of things here on I'd like to thank everyone who responded to my last chappie, but I've gotta start working on my next ones!**

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Kamilia groaned as she fumbled to turn the page of her sorcery book. She hadn't read this much in her entire life. Her mind was filling up with too much gibberish and nonsense, her eyes glazed over and she tried to absorb the tiny words that were becoming blurrier with every passing moment. She rubbed her poor eyes gently, suddenly understanding why Shoshina needed glasses.

Shoshina herself then walked into the room, looking awkwardly embarrassed. Kamilia noticed her presence but didn't remove her attention from her book.

"Afternoon, Shoshi," she muttered as if she were to fall asleep at any moment. She half expected her roomie to make a small joke about how hard she's been studying, but no such thing happened. In fact, once Shoshina entered the room, she laid her books down and sat down on her bed, starring at her feet. Kamilia, curious, forced herself to stop studying and looked at her friend.

"Have a good day?" she asked. Shoshina didn't answer as if she couldn't hear. Kammy, somewhat insulted, got up from her bed and looked Shoshi straight in the eye.

"What happened that has you in such a funk?" she demanded, claws on her hips. Shoshina slowly began muttering her sentence.

"Um…well, I was…walking to class and…ran into someone," she said, sheepishly. Kammy cocked her head.

"Like who?"

"…Gregory…the Human."

"Oh," Kamilia said, sounding relieved. "For a minute, I thought you ran into someone of importance...like Raphael."

Shoshina's eyes widened slightly for a mere second, but that was all the proof Kamilia needed.

"You _have_ been seeing him behind my back, haven't you?" she accused. Shoshina shook her head no vigorously, almost violently, to the point where her jet black hair nearly whipped her in the face. Though her cheeks were now a bright scarlet color, she continued to deny any going-ons between she and the Raven.

"Shoshina, I can't believe you!" Kammy continued to cry. "Never in your life had you…I mean, I can't imagine how…"

But Shoshina was too upset to take all of this yelling. "What?" she asked sarcastically. "How I managed to take him from you? Little Miss Perfect? Well, maybe he isn't after looks!"

Kammy looked stunned for a little while, shocked by her usually-quiet roomie's sudden outburst, but that didn't stop her from expressing how she still felt.

"So you're admitting it?" she cried out.

"Why shouldn't I? I've never had a guy tell me he loved me, Kamilia! _Never_!" Shoshina shot back. Then, under her breath, she added, "It's not like I took him from you in the first place…"

"What?" Kammy asked, suddenly looking worried. Shoshi shot her a horrible glare.

"I didn't take him from you, he_ left_ you," she stated coolly. "He said that you were a great girl and all but not…_worthy_ of him, for lack of a better word."

"Worthy?" Kamilia felt as if her heart was suddenly smashed into a thousand tiny pieces. This had never happened to her before. Usually it was her that broke up with one boy for another. She could hardly stand…

"I need a drink…" she said as she briskly walked to the door. Upon opening it, however, she was stopped by a short, bean-looking man. His skin was a grotesque shade of forest green, his medium cut white beard covering most of his wrinkled face.

"Excuse me, Lady Kamilia," he said in a muffled older voice. "The Wizard has asked for an audience with you and your room mate, Miss Shoshina, concerning your curriculum for the year."

Kamilia wiped tears from her eyes before responding, "Yes, Mr. Sprout," and turningy back into her room. Shoshina looked at her quietly.

"We need to see the Wizard," were the only words that Kammy said as she grabbed her purse and swiftly left the room again. Shoshina's head perked up. The Wizard? Suddenly forgetting about Kammy's woes, she excitedly grabbed her book bag and ran to catch up with her roomie, though she kept her mouth shut the whole walk to The Wizard's office.

* * *

The entire room seemed to shimmer, giving off its own light. The walls burned a triumphant and bold red, the tiled floor shimmering gold. The chandelier above was a mysterious sapphire color with blue embers igniting the candles. From each of the four enormous walls that surrounded the Wizard's mighty purple throne hung a large, blanket-like drape with an insignia on each of them.

The first was of a small egg, cracked slightly, and underneath was written, in glorious writing "Birth." The second insignia resembled a younger Koopa, sitting on the floor, starring into the sky, as if it was confused. Written underneath was the word "Growth." The third displayed a much older-looking Koopa, his shelled back facing front, with a large mallet over his shoulder. "Destiny" The forth and last one resembled a large fire, though the embers were as black as night, and a tiny image of a Koopa, kneeling on one knee, as if in pain.

"Death."

It made a shiver slip up Kamilia's spine. Why did that last insignia poke at her darkest memory, as if she had recognized the being in it? She assumed that it was the creature from her dream, the horrid demonic character that emerged from Hell with its wingeding beings. Kamilia shook away the feeling. Deep down, she was remarkably scared that this dream seemed to be following her, but she couldn't worry. It was probably nothing.

And there, sitting triumphantly atop his throne, was the Wizard. His beard was long and light red, almost like looking into the ember of a candle, and draped down to his waist. He was wearing his trademark clothes- tall, pointed silver hat and long, shimmering silver robes- which he was to wear whenever school was in session. His sparkling blue eyes shimmered with happiness as he saw the two Koopas approach him.

"Ah, Ladies Kamilia and Shoshina of Rogueport!" he announced, his voice full of joy. "Please, please, have a seat."

He waved a claw at the two girls, who, almost instantly, felt a force knocking at the back of their legs. They quickly found themselves sitting down on two chairs that the Wizard had magically conjured up.

Shoshina could barely keep her eyes off of the great Wizard. He had such an amazing presence about him, what with his blue scales and dazzling orange hair. His shell was poking proudly out of the back of his robes, its redness sparkling like a giant ruby.

"Now," he said, his voice echoing in the large hall. "I have asked you both here to inquire as to what majors you are to be taking, your career plans, and what makes you think that you are worthy of staying at such a magnificent school as Bycaster University."

This question confused the two girls. As Kamilia titled her head slightly in confusion, Shoshina lowered her brows and, very carefully, asked, "Um…Your Grace, why is it that we are being asked these questions now? N-Not that I am questioning your authority, Your Grace; we shall answer your questions indisputably, but…"

The Wizard laughed. "Oh, please, no need for such formalities and nerves when speaking to me. I am but a Koopa, same as you, aren't I?"

Shoshina felt her throat closing in as she attempted to hide a large, proud smile on her face. She couldn't be happier that the Wizard himself had just compared himself to her.

"But, just to be fair and answer your question," he continued. "These questions are to be asked now, after we began our first semester, so to have given you a taste of what Bycaster truly is. Now, none of us working here at Bycaster mean to brag, but I doubt that anyone serious in a future in sorcery would refuse an acceptation letter from us. However, after seeing how the school is from a true student's point of view, perhaps minds have changed or views have been altered. That is why I ask these questions now."

Kamilia sighed. Being honest with herself, she wasn't very impressed with this bold Koopa. Or, rather, perhaps she truly was but wasn't in the mood to admit it to herself. Thoughts of the kiss she and Raphael shared on that first day of school came rushing back to her constantly…

"Lady Kamilia, I pray that I haven't bored you?"

She jumped slightly at the mention of her name coming from the high Wizard. She shook her head nervously.

"No, sir, I'm very sorry," she quickly apologized. "My mind was on…something else." Shoshina shot her an angry glare, but Kammy's eyes stayed glued upon the Wizard's face. He stroked his beard.

"Well, there is a time and place for everything, Lady Kamilia," he said in a grave voice. "But, never you mind. Now, tell me, what is it that you wish to study while here at Bycaster?"

Kamilia, her heart beating fast, raised her head high and proud, cleared her throat, and said, "Offensive levitation spells, Your Grace."

The Wizard raised his brows and nodded, as if very interested. "That is very good, Lady Kamilia." he responded, still nodding his head. "Tell me, why is it that you wish to study that particular major?"

Kamilia opened her mouth, then quickly shut it again. Should she tell him about the chair that was floating in her room while she slept? She hadn't even told Shoshi about that yet. And, if she did tell him, would she also have to tell him about the shadow she saw that night? Or the falling star? Slightly lowering her head, Kamilia muttered, "Because…I've always found flight amazing. To be given a chance to fly would be a dream come true for me."

The Wizard hesitated, looking somewhat disappointed in Kammy's answer. However, he quickly regained his composure and turned his attention back to Shoshina.

"Lady Shoshina," he said. "What is it that you wish to study, my dear?"

Immediately, as if anticipating the question and preparing her answer, Shoshi reported, "I wish to study defensive transformation spells, Your Grace."

Again, the Wizard nodded and smiled. "Yes, yes, I could sense that you have a great power about you, Shoshina. As you know, transformation spells are some of the most difficult to master, second only to creation spells."

"I know, Your Grace," Shoshi responded. "I also know that I have been given a gift, and I will work my absolute hardest to take full advantage of it."

Kammy rolled her eyes.

"Indeed, I know you will," the Wizard replied. "But hard work does not necessarily make a good sorcerer. If that were the case, many blacksmiths or carpenters would also be wizards."

"That is the thing about spells that most students do not seem to grasp," he continued. "Spells are not matters of mind. Just because you can_ think_ it doesn't always make it possible. Controlling elements, such as gravity, is not as easy as snapping fingers or waving a wand. Creating elements is even more taxing, of course, because after you manage to create the fire or water, then you must learn how to control it before it takes on a life of its own.

"That, of course, is why creation spells are the most difficult of majors to learn. You are not simply pulling the strings on a person, nor are you controlling a mindless element. You are creating a living, breathing soul, which is a godlike ability. Even I have yet to master such mysterious ways. A soul is not an object, Ladies, please remember that."

After finishing his speech, he placed two gentle claws upon his temple and sighed, as if troubled about something. For a moment or two, Kammy and Shoshi sat in the magical chairs, watching him. Finally, the Wizard looked up at them again, smiled, and then gestured to his door.

"I'm sorry, Ladies, but could we please continue this another time. I am suddenly…not feeling very well."

"Are you alright?" Shoshina asked, as if she would be selfish for not asking.

"Oh, yes, I simply…had a strange vision."

"What sort of-"

"Well, I do believe that you both have classes tomorrow, so I highly suggest that you return to your rooms and have a nice sleep," the Wizard said, in a somewhat orderly voice. Without another question, the two girls stood up, bowed slightly, and then began walking out of the large hall, Shoshi giving one last look at the Wizard, Kammy giving one last look at the "Death" insignia.


	11. Korallis

**Wow, it's been a rediculously long time since I've updated this story. But I was home sick from school today, so I figured "Eh, why not?" Thus, this chappie right here.**

**Queen B of Randomness 016: Yeah, Wicked is a bit...trippy...and let me warn you that it gets kinda boring near the middle, but the ending is phenominal! Trust me, you'll love it!**

**shadow-spawn180: Ah, I actually thank you for pointing out my spelling errors. I recently bought this book that is like the Bible of writing, with commonly misspelled words and whatnot. It's saving my life right now and I hope it shows in this chappie.**

**Sailor Tenchichi Vegeta: You always have amazing ideas. Duplighosts, Podoboos...yeah, I thank you greatly for those ideas. Basically, the more origins I have in this story, the better! **

* * *

Upon learning that levitation spells were among the simplest spells to learn, Kammy felt even more miserable that she could not make the wooden chair float again. It hadn't floated since that night, while she had been asleep.

Kammy was sitting on her bed, starring at the chair, her eyes narrowed. Though her brain felt like it was being beaten with rocks, she concentrated all the harder, picturing the wooden object floating at least a mere centimeter above the carpeted floor. Her eyes were growing watery from not blinking. Thoughts of Shoshina, off again tonight, filled her mind, picturing her in Raphael's wings, holding him tightly. She clenched her teeth and her claws shaped into fists.

_'That two-timing little…' _She thought to herself. She could hardly stand her roomie anymore, what with her complaining and jealousy and…thieving.

Suddenly, Kammy heard a scratching up against the ceiling of her room. Curious, her eyes darted upward to see, to her astonishment, the wooden chair. It was banging on the ceiling, as if it wanted to continue flying through it. Overjoyed, Kammy smiled with excitement and ran to grab her notebook, not for a second removing her glance from the chair.

She grabbed her parchment and a quill pen, dipped its end in dark ink, and began writing down what she was seeing and every exact step she had taken to get the chair there. However, after a few sentences, the chair began quickly descending from the air until it crashed down onto the floor once again, one of its legs snapping off. Kammy didn't care, however. She was all-too excited to show her accomplishments to Professor Emmera that following morning.

Feeling greatly drained after her notes, Kammy snuggled under her sheets, nestled her head against her pillow, and went to sleep.

A mere minute after Kammy dozed off, Shoshina walked into her room, quietly kissing Raphael good-night and crawling into her own bed.

* * *

That next morning, Shoshina awoke, rubbing her grayish eyes, bags underneath. She dared to look over at the clock. _8:45._ She was nearly three hours late for classes! She threw herself out of bed and quickly changed, not even bothering to shower. She grabbed her schoolbag and ran out the door. 

As she ran, she cursed to herself. Even Kammy was in class before her. How could she have been so careless, staying up that late with Raphael? Especially after what the Wizard had told her: "As you know, transformation spells are some of the most difficult to master…" She had seen Kammy's note lying by her bedside that past night. What was becoming of them, Shoshi staying out late with a boy while Kammy studies her spells?

She ran faster that she thought she could to get to Emmera's class. She opened the door a crack, peering in at the back of her classmates' heads. She could see Emmera's face shining upon her students with pride (she had obviously just checked their homework). A terrible lump gathering in her throat, Shoshina slowly opened the door, hoping that she could make it to a seat in the back without anyone noticing.

However, the door creaked long and loudly, resulting in every single curious head spinning around, hundreds upon thousands of eyes starring directly at Shoshi. Turning bright red, Shoshina lowered her head and slowly began walking towards the nearest desk. She could feel Emmera's disgusted and disappointed glare following her.

"Lady Shoshina!" she shouted from the front of the room, as she began walking towards Shoshi's desk. Shoshi's heart began beating faster as she fiddled with her claws nervously, her head down, as she anticipated Emmera approaching her. Finally, the old Koopa was standing directly next to Shoshi's desk, her arms crossed.

"You are late." She said quietly.

Shoshi nodded slightly.

"May I inquire as to why?"

Shoshina was silent for a while, then responded, "I slept in, Professor. It will never happen again."

"That is what you told me last week. Twice, actually, if my memory serves correctly."

Again, Shoshi said nothing, but simply lowered her head. She was beginning to feel sick.

"This is Bycaster University, Shoshina, not Delphino Resort." Emmera snapped. "You are here because our staff believed that they saw something in you, a gift that many do not have. You are a brilliant young lady, Shoshina, but you are slacking off. We do not permit slacking off here at Bycaster. Your fellow students are each trying very hard to keep up their grades. Believe it or not, Shoshina, you are not the special one that we will go lenient on. Work harder, like your roomie, or we will be forced to dismiss you from the school."

Shoshi shot a look at the back of her roomie, dressed in a lavish pink blouse, a barrette in her platinum-blonde hair. Kammy kept her eyes to the front of the room to avoid locking eyes with her now-clear jealous and angry friend.

"Yes, Ma'am, I understand." Shoshi whispered, removing her nearly-completed homework and giving it to Emmera. The professor snatched it and looked it over, shaking her head in disappointment. She walked back up to the front of the room, returning behind her podium, throwing Shoshi's homework in a small garbage can near her foot. Shoshi lip quivered.

"Now, would all of you please turn your attention to my newest student intern. He will be assisting me around the room and laboratory. If you have any questions, you can now go to him. Korallis?"

A door near the front of the room opened and in walked a tall, handsome Koopa, around the same age as Kammy, wearing dark blue robes. His light brown hair matched his deep eyes. He was proudly walking up to the podium, a navy-blue wand in his right claw. He turned around to face the class, looking nervous for but a second, and then said, "Hello, my peers. I am Korallis Koopa. As Professor Emmera said, I will be helping her, and you, with your Sorcery studies. If you have any questions to ask me, don't hesitate to ask."

A hand rose in the air. Korallis nodded and said, "Yes, the young lady in the forth row?"

"You single?" Kammy heard Ivy's voice say, followed by a series of giggles and quiet laughter. Korallis lowered his brows in disrespect, as did Kammy and Emmera.

"Now, now, there will be no such talk in my classroom!" Emmera snapped, silencing the laughing. Korallis shook his head, and met Kammy's gaze. He shrugged and grinned slightly, making Kammy blush and smile back.

_

* * *

'Another long day.' Kammy thought to herself as she placed her book bag down on her bed, where she soon collapsed. She had just broken up with Raphael, whom didn't seem to care._

_'Oh, but neither do I.'_ Kammy thought. _'That jerk left me for my roomie…who does that?'_

She pulled out her Sorcery homework almost immediately and began working on it. She had never done her homework once she got back to her room before, but today was different. She was simply too upset at Shoshi and Raphael to do anything else. She wasn't in the mood to socialize, in fear of being asked inevitable questions about the break-up.

_What is the most common mistake while using wand movements?_

Kammy somehow knew each and every one of these answers and got it accomplished rather quickly. After dusting her side of the room and cleaning out her closet, Kammy officially declared herself bored. She resisted her better judgment, pulled a light jacket on and began to walk down to _Le Fleur du feu_, an elegant restaurant that had a wine booth for a quick drink.

She walked past every single question and comment that arose around her, pulling the collar of her jacket up closer to her face. The winds were getting rougher as autumn approached. She noticed leaves falling from the trees and her breath appearing before her visibly. As she strolled into _Le Fleur du feu_, she brushed the leaves off of her jacket and fixed her hair before approaching the wine booth.

Kammy took a seat at the booth and asked the bartender to fix her up with a drink. The tuxedoed Blooper grabbed a variety of different bottles with amazing speed and poured their contents into a single glass, topping the entire thing off with a stem of grapes on the side. Kammy grasped the glass in her claws and sipped its contents, which tasted fruity yet hinting with blackcurrant and alcohol.

She rested her elbows on the counter, something she rarely ever did, for her manners prevented her from doing so. Today, however, she didn't seem to care what people thought about her. She just wanted to forget about Raphael and Shoshi…and everyone else.

"Excuse me, madame, do you mind if I sit here?" a voice asked.

Without looking up, Kammy nodded her head. "Go ahead."

The young-sounding man took a seat next to her and ordered a complicated drink with an amazingly accurate tongue. Kammy lowered her brows in thought, slowly recognizing the man's voice. She turned her head to see Korallis, looking over papers that he had just removed from his pocket.

"You…" she muttered to herself, not realizing that he had heard her. He turned to look at her.

"Hey, you're that girl who sits in the front in Emmera's class, right?" he asked her.

"Yes, I am." She stated, straitening herself and preparing for her introduction. "My name is Lady Kamilia from-"

"Rogueport, yes." He interupted, catching Kammy off guard. He took her outstretched hand and shook it slightly. "Very nice to make your aquaintance, Kamilia."

"Likewise, I'm sure." Kammy said, somewhat rudely, as she returned to her drink. She felt horrid for sounding so rude, but her mind was on other things besides a student intern. For a long while, there was nothing but silence and the sound of Kammy taking occasional gulps of her drink.

"So…um…" Korallis began awkwardly. "How are you liking Bycast-"

"Look, Mr. Korallis, I am very flattered that you wish to hold a conversation with me, but I'm not quite in the mood for small talk. I would appreciate it if you were to refrain from speaking to me as long as you sit here, if you don't mind."

Korallis looked at Kammy not in shock or anger, but in sympathy. He could sense that something was upsetting her.

"So…are you going to talk to her?" he asked suddenly. Kammy shot him a look.

"Who?" she asked slowly.

"Lady Shoshina, the girl who walked in late today." He responded. "I can tell from your expression that you're having trouble with someone, probably a close friend. A roomie."

Kammy listened with great interest as Korallis continued. "I know a heart-broken face when I see one, so I assume that Shoshina has taken someone dear to you…probably Raphael Raven. He hasn't had a steady girlfriend for more than two weeks, at least that is the reputation that he's gotten here at Bycaster."

He paused for a moment as his eyes locked with Kammy's. "Tell me…am I right?"

Amazed, Kammy nodded. Korallis smiled.

"Well, broken hearts are not easy to mend," he said, raising his glass. "But if you let me, I could help you be yourself again?"

Kammy felt something growing in her chest where her heart was. Her brain and heart were sending her mixed signals until Kammy finally raised her glass, as well, grinning slightly.

"I would love it."

_Clink!

* * *

_

**Read and respond, please!**


	12. The Day of Flight

**Hey, dudes and dudettes, it's been a long while. But I'm back in the old swing of things (since today was a snow day!!) and I'm back to writing the epic King of the Koopas trilogy. Yeah...please respond/comment/critique this chapter. I'm missing all of my fan fic friends!**

* * *

As the last remaining signs of summer finally began to disappear, the students of Bycaster slowly began to concentrate more on their studies. They knew that midterm exams were just around the corner and every little grade counted.

However, this didn't mean that the young adults lost their personal lives. Shoshina took long, secret walks with Raphael around the campus, constantly trying to avoid their peers and teachers. Kamilia knew this very well, and there was still a slight lingering jealousy in the back of her heart, but she hardly took the time to notice it anymore. She was too busy trying to get to know this new and exciting Korallis Koopa.

He was a very bright young man, clearly exceeding his fellow students in sorcery, sciences, and arithmetic. He was also fluent in many languages, including the dead language of the Pikarin. He was very skilled at most sports, particularly the game of _ludi pilae_, in which one must grab the opposing team's Spineys and throw them, carefully, through narrow hoops. He also played the violin beautifully.

Kamilia enjoyed his company. She loved spending hours with him in the sorcery hall, starring out the window, talking about the meaning of life, their hopes and dreams. It was as if she could tell the Koopa anything. She was truly happy being near him.

* * *

Shoshina stormed into her room late one night, sporting one of her roomie's beautiful orange dresses, anger fuming in her face. Kamilia, busy studying for a Flight prep class she had the next morning, noticed her friend's sudden, and rather dramatic, entrance into her room and felt that she was responsible to say something.

"Are you alright, Shoshi?" she asked politely. Her roomie shot her a mean glare.

"It's that Raphael Raven!" she shouted. "I saw him with another girl around his wings. I just…I mean, he said he was sorry and that it was an accident, but…how could he do that to me?"

It was now Kammy's turn to feel hot rage bubbling up inside her. How could Shoshina possibly expect sympathy from her? Was it not Shoshina who had taken Raphael from her in the first place? Kamilia took a few deep breaths, however, and returned to her studies. She chose to grin at her roomie's problems instead of helping her.

"Who does she think she is, that little wentch?" Shoshina complained. "She can't just take my boy away from me like that!"

Shoshina went on a little longer, getting closer to Kamilia with every new sentence in attempt to get her to respond. Kammy, however, continued reading.

"Kammy, why do you ignore me?" she whined. "When I need you the post, why?"

Kamilia looked up at her friend, smiling. "Because, honestly, Shoshi, I don't give a damn."

Apalled, Shoshina blinked in suprize and took a step backwards. "How…can you say that?" she said softly, suddenly acting hurt. "I'm your best friend…you said that you would help me through this year socially…"

"Well, I think that was before you took that two-timing bird away from me for yourself, you selfish bitch!"

Kamilia had had enough. She had the book down on the floor as she stood mere inches away from Shoshi's face. For a split second, her eyes flashed with hatred, wanting to curse her roommate like she did Ivy her first night here. However, she quickly regained her composture, picked up her book, and sat back down again. Shoshina, however, began to tear up.

"I hate you…" she whispered. "So much."

And she stormed out of the room.

Kamilia's eyes grew wide for a while as she watched her friend walk out the door, even more angry then when she walked in. For a while, Kamilia thought about apologizing, making amends and becoming best friends again. After all, this was all over some stupid boy.

'_No,'_ she thought, grinning_. 'I have no sympathy for her anymore. She has proved that she could be as wicked as they come, yet slap on a sad face whenever she needs something. I will not tolerate such childish behavior.'_

And she continued studying.

* * *

Shoshina creapt out of the school again that night, the cold autumn air hitting her hard even underneath her cloak. Keeping her arms in her sheel for warmth, she began her now-ritualistic walk back to a large hut built behind the Bycaster dorms.

She kept her head low and her footstpes light as she approached the hut, built of dark green bricks and straw. Knocking five soft times, her heart began beating again. She had been talking to him many nights now, but this was the first time she came without questions in mind, but complaints. How would he respond?

The wooden door opened, and a slightly taller creature stood within, with only long pants on, his muscular build growing goosebumps immediately upon exposure to the cold air.

"Lady Shoshina." He said calmly, with his accented voice. "Welcome back. I've been anticipating your nxt return."

"Tonight will be somewhat different, Mr. Toadstool." Shoshina replied. "I have something I need to ask you about my roommate, Lady Kamilia."

* * *

The next day, the very last leaf fell from the tallest tree on campus, and Kamilia, a long light-pink scarf around her perfect neck, was standing out front with the rest of her Flight class, preparing for their semester exam.

The wind was at a standstill, almost as if it had known that the Flight exam was today and decided to give the students a break. Kamilia held a deep violet broomstick in her claws proudly and she thought back to her notes from the night before. _Sit closer to the bristles, push off with both feet firmly, concentrate on the sky, wrap both ankles around the broomstick…_

"Alright, class!" Emmera called out, immediately shushing up the entire class. "It is now time for me to see what you all have learned from the past month of training. We will go in alphabetical order, so Amaden may go first."

The small Dayzee shyly stepped forward, bright yellow broomstick in hand. Her petals shook nervously as she mounted her broom. She closed her eyes slightly and jumped into the air. However, she did not fly into the air, but collapsed to the ground again. Her classmates held their hands up to their mouths in attempt to hide their chuckles. Amaden quickly turned red.

"Now, now, my dear, that was a fine first attempt." Emmera said. "However, you must feel the sky, not just wish for it. Now please try again."

The Dayzee, still blushing from embaressment, swung her legs back over the broom and attempted again. She shut her eyes softly and began to breathe in deep. The red in her face began to disappear as her classmates began to feel a slight breeze coming from the end of her broomstick.

She suddenly opened her eyes, pushed off the ground with both feet, and accended into the air, her petals rippeling in the wind.

The class cheered and shouted in awe as Amaden continued to fly circles around them. Without doing anything fancy, but still crying out of joy of her accomplishment, Amaden landed in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by her entire class.

"Excellent, excellent!" Emmera cried out, clapping her hands. "That wasn't the most graceful form I've seen, but it surely got the job done. Congradulations, Amaden."

The Dayzee smiled shyly and disappeared back into the sea of faces. That was how it was for the rest of the class up until Kamilia. Once it was her turn, she turned pale. Her heart beat far too fast once Emmera called out, "Kamilia!"

She stepped forward, her violet broomstick in hand. She looked into the eyes of her classmates, almost half of them having already flown. Richerd the Tanooki had flown beautifully, how was she supposed to compare to his form?

She took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and tried as hard as she could to imagine the sky. As she was doing so, she invisioned the wooden chair floating into the air, as well. She knew that she could do this. She knew she could.

She pushed off, her eyes still shut. She said a silent prayer to the stars, hoping that she wouldn't trip over her feet. She did no such thing, however. Instead, she felt cool air blow back her blonde hair and scarf, sending shivers up and down her skin. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

She was at least ten yards above the rest of her class and still flying! Soon, even against Emmera's better judgement, the entire Bycaster building looked like a dollhouse. Kammy could hardly contain her own excitement. She had been dreaming of this day for so many years…the day of flight.

A small tear soon dripped from her eye and down her face, freezing on impact with the cold winds. This was a tear of discovery and beauty, however. A tear of conquering dreams.

Suddenly, though, her mind was consumed by a black thought, one so mysterious that one would even call it evil. Kammy squinted her eyes, struggling to shake away the vision without losing control of her broom. However, this premonition was too strong, blurring Kammy's vision and making her painfully dizzy.

She saw the same creatures that haunted her dreams, however, this time, she could make out slight details. They were like Koopas, only they were stripped of any and all flesh and organs. Only crimson-stained bones remained on these shelled and winged creatures. They looked positively bloodthristy.

Then, she saw the Devil. His horrific face burned with pure insanity and hellfire, his eyes longing for nothing but death. His sickly brown-colored scaled skin and his sword-like teeth made up a grin so positively satanic that Kammy was forced to slam her eyes shut and grasp her pounding head.

She suddenly felt her broomstick fly out from underneath her. The vision instantly disappeared as she opened her eyes again, only to see the Bycaster building grow larger and larger. She was in complete free fall.

The cries of Emmera and her classmates couldn't possibly be heard over the rushing of the air past her ears. She could hardly focus on anything but the horrible face of the Devil as he grinned his victim good-bye.

The ground was coming up quickly and Kammy had too little time to act. Almost impossibly, she brushed the premonition out of her mind and concentrated hard on her broomstick. She needed to fly it back underneath her before she hit the ground at five hundred miles an hour.

She needed to picture the broomstick flying back to her, wherever it was at the moment. It was her broom, so all she needed was strong will power to control it. That, of course, would prove easier said than done while plummeting through the open air.

She couldn't breathe, the wind pushing all oxygen out of her lungs. She felt her mind shutting down, growing ever light headed. The last thing she saw before blacking out was a long, purple blur zooming towards her.

* * *

She awoke in a bed in the hospital wing, her head pounding. She slowly opened her eyes to be greeted by Professor Emmera, her classmates, and Raphael Raven, each looking relieved and yet concerned.

"What…?" she mummered. Emmera placed a claw to the girl's forehead.

"Sush, dear," she whispered. "You fell from your broomstick while in midair."

Kamilia nodded. Of course she remembered that. She wanted to know how she had survived. As if reading her mind, Emmera looked back in Raphael's direction.

"This brave young Raven saved your life." She said, and Raphael smiled. He looked almost nervous, having not seen Kammy since he hooked up with Shoshina. Kammy gave Raphael a smile of gratitude, not to be comfused with happiness or love.

"Though I don't think she needed my help." Raphael quickly added to his smile. Kammy gave him a puzzled look. He approached the young Koopa, holding something behind his back.

"You were grasping this when I flew up to catch you."

Kammy couldn't help but grin in accomplishment. It was her broomstick.

* * *

**Sweet? Tell me so! Not sweet? Tell me why! Hated it? Well, f you!**

**(Totally kidding, just talk to me, peeps!)**


	13. Duel of the Fates

**Alright, I rip off of a lot of different things in this chappie. First off, the title is the name of the song in _Star Wars episode 1_ when Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are fighting Darth Maul, but it also applies to this chapter a lot, as well. Keep that in mind.**

**Secondly, I rip off of _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ near the end here. Just kinda...bear with me, alright?**

**Thanks to all who have responded to my last chapter. I'd love to acknowledge you all, but, for the sake of time, I'm just going to say "THANKS, GUYS! YOU ALL KICK MAJOR BUTTOCKS!!"**

**Now, feel free to continue with the story...**

**(and, for any wondering, yes I am working on the last couple chapters of _Simmer Down, Conan_. Thank you.**

* * *

"I think we both know what you need to do." 

Toadstool and Shoshina were sitting in his small cottage, gathered around a large fireplace, discussing the young Koopa girl's questions. Rough winds could be heard from outside the hut, but the Human stayed completely comfortable, nothing but the girl keeping his attention.

"Beg pardon?" Shoshina asked. Gregory leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"It seems to me that this Lady Kamilia is hardly a trustworthy friend to you." He began. "Taking things that belonged to you, not being there when you needed her. Who knows what she'll try to do next?"

"Exactly what I've been thinking about." Shoshi replied stubbornly. Gregory stared into her eyes.

"However, this is only what I've gathered from what you've been telling me." He said softly. "You are telling me the truth, right?"

There was a slight pause. Yes, Shoshi had extended the truth about Kammy and Raphael, and maybe even through in a white lie or two, but she nodded her head "yes" anyways. Gregory leaned back in his chair again.

"The best thing for you to do is show her how upset she's made you." He stated. "Do something to her that will make her fear and respect you from now on."

"Like what?" Shoshi asked. "She'll never respect me. She's always been the prettier, more popular and sociable one. I can hardly compare to her beauty."

"What is outer beauty without inner strength, Shoshina?" the Human asked, leaving the Koopa to think. Perhaps he had a point?

"Get her expelled from Bycaster."

Shoshina's head snapped up, her eyes wide. "Expelled?" she exclaimed. "How in all of Het Naamkaartje would I pull that off?" She got up from her chair and began pacing around the hut nervously. "I mean…even if I could come up with something, she would kill me. Kill me, Gregory, you have no idea how much she would hate me!"

"Ah, yes, but do you not hate her?"

"I…I don't know…"

"Well then, I guess I cannot help you."

Shoshina stopped dead in her tracks. She thought back to the good times she and Kamilia had shared. They definitely outnumbered the bad times, which only seemed to have started once they arrived at Bycaster.

_'It must be a sign of maturing and growing up.'_ Shoshi thought. _'We couldn't have stayed best friends forever.'_

She turned to look Gregory in the eye. "How can I expel her without getting myself in trouble as well?"

Toadstool grinned as he stood up and approached the Koopa. "Come now, you're a bright girl, Shoshi." He said, patting her on the head, a move that sent shivers down the girl's shell. "Use your imagination."

As the Human moved towards the fireplace and placed a kettle over it, Shoshina's mind began churning ideas. She quickly thanked Gregory Toadstool as she slowly opened the door and made her way back to the building. Her ideas were making her very, very nervous.

* * *

She had spent a mere three days in the Hospital Wing, simply trying to gather her thoughts and stop her legs from shaking. However, she passed her Flight exam with flying colors (no pun intended, of course). 

Her next exam was her Offensive test, the one that she dreaded even more than her Flight exam the day before. She would be put up against her own classmates to use attack spells to, basically, fight each other. Though Professor Emmera would be monitoring the entire event, Kammy didn't know what to expect from her fellow sorcerers.

She decided to practice her battle spells with Korallis on the days leading up to her exam. The young apprentice man taught her much about Offensive spells, as well as all-too important Defensive maneuvers.

As their last long night of practice drew to a close, Kamilia and Korallis decided to walk through the garden before retreating back to their dorms. The sky was a beautiful dark blue, the sun just about set, the stars beginning to peek out from behind the light-fluffy clouds. There was a wooden bench dedicated to the founder of Bycaster placed in front of the large marble fountain, dead center in the sapphire-colored Fire Flowers-consumed garden. Their soft light with the light trickling of water in the fountain made the night simply perfect for Kammy.

The two Koopas sat down on the bench and stared at the fountain. They said nothing to each other, but it wasn't out of embarrassment or anger. It was out of the comfort of the silence, the assurance of knowing that Korallis was there for Kammy and vice versa.

Kamilia soon felt a gentle claw around her shoulders. She smiled. She didn't feel nervous, shocked, or scared as she did when she was around Raphael's wing. She felt comfortable and warm.

So she put her head on his shoulder and continued to watch the fountain, now looking even more beautiful than ever.

* * *

The next day was her exam. She was tired, but in such a good way. She didn't do anything with Korallis that a lady shouldn't have done. Upon retreating back to her room, Korallis said good-night and that was that. Kammy liked it that way. 

She did notice, however, that Shoshina made it back to the dorm much later than she had. Upon questioning her roomie, Shoshi simply responded, "I was reading. Leave me alone."

But it was the morning and she needed to concentrate on her test. Her wand was out and she was running through the different techniques Korallis had taught her in her head. She soon caught a glimpse of Emmera approaching the class, now in a large arena-type gymnasium. She raised her hands to silence her noisy students.

"Class, class, settle down please!" she shouted in a calm voice. "Now, as you may or may not know, we will be using student-registered Offensive spells today. No permanent spells, no curses, and, Lord help us, _no_ killing spells! We haven't had any trouble in the past, so please don't be the first to disappoint me."

Whispers could be heard throughout the arena, small voices of select teenagers making jokes about killing one another. Kamilia could sense Ivy Koopa giving her a nasty glare behind her.

"Now, the first students will be chosen randomly." Emmera announced, silencing the students immediately with her news. The old Koopa teacher placed a small crystal ball on her pedestal and glared into it. It glowed brilliantly for a short while, and then Emmera raised her head, a grim smile upon her wrinkled face.

"Well, I guess an old rivalry will be settled today, class." She said. "Lady Kamilia Koopa verses Miss Ivy Thorburn!"

The gasps that consumed the arena exploded in Kammy's ear as she slowly turned her head to face her now-enemy. The junior had a large smile on her face, a look that Kammy could only classify as "evil." Kammy felt her heart face right out of her chest and strait out the door.

"Unless, Lady Kamilia, you are weak yet from your fall?" Emmera questioned.

Kammy looked up at her concerned professor, back at her rival, and then around the entire gymnasium. Her peers were holding onto their breaths, as if they had been waiting their entire lives to see such a duel. Kammy looked up at Emmera and grinned.

"Wouldn't want to disappoint my fans, would I?"

Instantly, the entire gymnasium burst into the loudest applause Kamilia had ever heard. This made her excited, for the entire arena was cheering for her. If that wasn't a huge boost of confidence, she didn't know what was.

She gladly pulled out her wand and made her way to the center of the arena. Ivy walked confidently, as well, staring at Kammy the entire time. As Emmera made a protective force-field around the rest of the class, everyone could feel the pure hatred the two combatants felt for one another exploding from their faces.

Kammy held the wand up to her face, watching as Ivy did the same. She smiled. She was too ready for this.

"Now, remember, girls," Emmera shouted over the students. "A clean fight!"

"Oh, whatever, you old hag." Ivy muttered under her breath. Kammy grinned at this statement.

"You know, Ivy, I'm sure there's still time to find a new opponent." She mocked. Ivy confident smile twitched slightly.

"Why would I bother? I'm going to get the best grade once I'm through with you, wench."

"A failing grade is your best? You need to study more, dearie."

Ivy frowned and she pointed her blood-red wand at her enemy. Kamilia could tell that Ivy would do anything within the rules of Bycaster to send her back to the Hospital Wing.

There was a loud explosion from Emmera's direction as she set off a beginning signal from her wand. Kamilia hardly had any time to react before a bolt of purple energy blasted right past her left side and dissolved into the force field surrounding them.

Kammy jumped immediately to her right and blasted a beam of yellow magic at her enemy, who also dodged, much to Kammy's shock. A bolt of red, blue, and green-colored electricity blasted Kammy in the leg, giving the Koopa hardly any time to react. She collapsed to the floor, her leg increasingly shrinking in size. The audience gasped, and some even ran up to Emmera to complain. But the wise professor simply stood and watched with complete captivation.

Kammy was slowly becoming handicapped and needed a spell to have the same reaction on Ivy. She dug into her mind and pulled out a spell that consisted of green lightning with gold mixed in. Ivy dodged it once, but was hit by it a second later. In a matter of seconds, Ivy's stomach began to grow, her arms and legs following shortly after.

As the audience began to laugh, Ivy's eyes grew a bright red in anger as she fired an array of dark blue spells at Kammy, who could hardly dodge them all. Her now-dominant leg got hit by one of the blue spells and instantly vanished.

Though the spell didn't hurt her any, Kamilia still let out a cry as she collapsed to the hard ground. She could hardly move, save for her grasping the slick floor with her claws and dragging herself, which would hardly work when Ivy shot that vanishing spell at her head or torso.

She rolled on the ground, desperately dodging blue bolts with amazing luck. She felt so foolish, though, for she was letting her peers and fans down. She was not about to loose to this wench. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. Korallis had taught her so much, why could she not remember? She concentrated still, praying for anything to pop into her head.

Suddenly, the crowd began shouting, "Look at that!" Kammy looked up at the ceiling to see her violet broomstick soaring towards her. Grinning, she grabbed onto the broom and flew into the sky, barely dodging another bolt of blue.

Ivy cursed, her body still growing in size. She tried to run, but her legs were so filled with fat that she could hardly move. Kammy took advantage of this moment, zoomed down towards her enemy, and prepared to knock the wand out of Ivy's hand. She was going to win!

"Hey, no fair!" someone from the audience shouted out. "She's been training all week with Korall…"

Suddenly, there was an enormous flash of black light, darkness so dark that it seemed to suck any and all light from the arena. This darkness, contained in one bolt of magic lightning, descended from the ceiling and hit the bloated Ivy hard, forcing her backwards and smashing her through the magic force field and up against the wall of the gymnasium.

Kammy could see it all: the effects of her fat spell instantly wore off, but this new, mysterious curse had hit her with a power deadlier than Kammy had ever seen. Ivy's once tanned skin instantly turned pale as her face began to age, her dark hair exploding in gray, then white, then falling out. Her cheeks sank in as her claws became thin and crinkly. Her shoes, quickly followed by her robes, fell off due to her weight being sucked ou of her. Her bones with dissolving, her blood drying. It was the most horrid sight Kammy had ever seen in her life.

As soon as Professor Emmera and the rest of the class made it to the scene, Ivy's body was nothing more than a dusty skeleton, her skull snapping off and smashing to the ground, exploding into a pile of white, disgusting dust.

Emmera held her claw up to her mouth, many of the students began crying or running away from the terrible sight to vomit. Kammy, however, did not know what to do. Where had that horrifying and monstrous curse come from? How did it break through Emmera's barrier?

"P-Professor…" she began, trying to hold back sobs. "How did -"

"Kamilia…" Emmera interrupted, her old eyes filled with tears, her throat bobbing with sobs. "Oh, Kamilia…what in all of Het Naamkaartje did you _do_?"

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuuun!! Yeah, take that ending home. Chew it. It's delicious. (Oh, and respond, please and thank you.)**

**(Also, I'm probably going to be updating this more frequently now, because NBC's _Heroes_ is on hiatus until April 23 (which is an evil number if you see that awesome Jim Carrey movie) and _Heroes_ is pretty much my life because it's God-like, so...yeah...I'm done talking now...)**


	14. Shadowland

**I'm so happy that people, after all this time, are still interested in this saga enough to comment on it. Thanks one and all! You inspire me to keep going and come up with awesome ideas!**

**Also, I'm going to be going back and revising this story and the past two in the trilogy. My story-writing abilities have improved since I first began _King of the Koopas_ and I think I should show that in these stories.**

**One favor I must ask from you guys...it's a little one but...anyone enjoy drawing fan art? Because I'm sorta desperately looking for people to draw scenes from my _King of the Koopas_ trilogy. It can be any scene and drawn in any way you want (just make it look cool haha). But, yeah...WANTED: GOOD ARTISTS!**

* * *

"I understand that you say this was an accident, Kamilia," the Wizard explained. "But the fact is that you killed someone, someone whom you had a harsh history with. We simply can't take any chances with someone as dangerous as you roaming our hallways."

Her head hung in disbelief, Kamilia was standing next to Professor Emmera, her claws cuffed behind her by magic. They were standing in the Wizard's hall, the shimmering walls now seeming dull, as if also disappointed in Kammy's accident.

"Now, I will ask you this again, young lady." The Wizard began angrily. "Where did you learn such a deadly and sinful curse?"

Without looking up, Kamilia responded, quite frustrated by that question. "Again, your Grace, I do not know."

Emmera used her wand to tighten the magical cuffs around Kammy's tender claws, making her wince and nearly double over. The old Professor then grabbed her face.

"Stop lying, girl!" she shouted. "You performed that curse without slipping up at all! You didn't just murder Miss Ivy…you destroyed her! Now, tell me, where did you learn the Black Thunder Curse?"

"I didn't perform any killing curse!" Kammy screamed finally.

"Emmera, enough!" The Wizard shouted forcefully. Upon saying those words, Kammy could feel the pressure of the magic cuffs loosening as her professor glared up at her boss with anger.

"Now, Kamilia, there are plenty of ways to magically cover up a murder." The Wizard continued. "And one of them is a self-memory-erasing spell. It's easier to learn than erasing another's memory and, since there is no student powerful enough to cast a curse through Emmera's Magic Shield, I have reason to believe that you killed Ivy Thorburn and then erased your memory so I could not read it."

Kamilia began trembling. She remembered everything that happened earlier that day. She was dueling Ivy Thorburn inside of Emmera's force field arena. Ivy was winning for a short while until Kammy grabbed hold of her broomstick and began evading her attacks. Then, suddenly, a black bolt of lightning burst through the top of the force field, killing Ivy in a horrible, horrible way. That was the honest truth and she knew it.

"Well, if she did, in fact, use the memory spell, than she is of no use to us in trying to figure out who taught her Black Thunder." Emmera said to The Wizard as if Kammy was no longer there.

"Yes, but she is still a threat." He replied, stroking his beard. "Well, the first, and most obvious, thing we should do is expel the girl, destroy her wand, and send her back to Rogueport."

"What?" Kammy cried out suddenly.

"Yes, but she will not be able to leave until tomorrow morning." Emmera said. "Where will she stay tonight? We cannot risk her escaping."

Kamilia couldn't grasp what she was hearing. A mere twenty-four hours ago, she was the most loved girl in all of Bycaster. She had great friends, teachers who thought she was brilliant for the first time in her life…now she was about to spend a night in a dungeon cell and go back to Rogueport the very next morning! How did this happen?

"She will stay in my dungeon for the night." The Wizard announced. "I will have my Clubbas keep watch and, first thing tomorrow, we will have her pack her bags and leave on the first ship back to Rogueport."

Tears filled Kammy's eyes as The Wizard nodded, dismissing her and Emmera, who was directed to follow Kammy up to her room to change and then back down to the cell. As the poor girl was lead out of the great hall of The Wizard, only one thing caught her eye: the "Death" banner, the pain-filled creature upon it looking suddenly familiar.

* * *

Clubbas were anything but gentle. This was the only thing that Kammy could be sure of as she lay on the cold, stone bench that night. She was honestly on top of her world that very morning. She was Emmera's star student, The Wizard's keen interest. Now she was their prisoner.

Tiny Ice Fuzzies nibbled at her feet as she thought about what could've possibly happened. She knew that she didn't fire that dreadful spell. She _knew_ it. But, if she didn't, who did? Perhaps it was a brave and loyal friend of hers, who desperately wanted Kammy to win so, out of desperation, fired the killer attack? However, there was a force field keeping any and all magic attacks in or out. Kammy knew this because Ivy's powerful blasts were seemingly absorbed by the shield. Even if a student did fire the Black Thunder, though, none of them were powerful enough to break through the shield. The only people she knew who were strong enough were the teachers and The Wizard.

Thoughts suddenly went from curiosity to hopelessness, depression, and fear. She was being sent back home. Her parents had such high expectations from her. They didn't expect to see her back for years with a shimmering silver graduation wand in her hand. Not in shackles committed for murder.

Tears swelled up in her violet eyes and she felt a lump grow in her throat. Her entire life she was excited for a life post-Bycaster, a life of respect and intelligence, of great love and adoration. A life with a loving husband (at that moment, only Korallis came to mind, in a handsome suit) and a young child, preferably a boy. She had always wanted a son. Now, however, that dream looked as cold and dark as her prison chamber.

There were sudden footsteps that seemed to come out of nowhere. Quickly, Kammy shot her head up and cowered back to a corner away from the cell bars, fearing it was Emmera or more Clubbas.

No such threat taunted her. Instead, she was greeted by a tall, charming Koopa with medium-length dark-blue hair, wearing the handsome suit Kammy had just envisioned.

"Korallis!" Kammy whispered excitedly.

He removed his wand from his robes, chanted a few words, and shot a few sparks at the cell lock, melting it instantly. He opened the chamber door and grabbed Kamilia's wrist.

"We must get you out of here now, Kamilia." He whispered back. The female Koopa nodded, a great big smile upon her face. _He was rescuing her!_

They ran past the two Clubba guards, who were standing propped up against the wall, as if sleeping. As they approached the dungeon exit, Korallis spun around and looked Kammy in the eyes.

"I'm going to teleport us out of here, alright?" he whispered. Again, Kammy nodded, her eyes wide. He then hugged her tightly, making Kammy let out a silent dreamy sigh. Then, the walls around them began to change. The brightly-lit torches quickly began to vanish, the two Clubbas turning into tall, leafless trees. The stone floor they were once standing on became the cold, prickly grass of the courtyard. Water could be heard in the distance. He had teleported them to their garden.

"Kamilia, listen to me," he said somewhat louder now. "I need to get you out of here."

She looked up at the boy, somewhat stunned. "Well, Korallis, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I already am leaving. I've been expelled for -"

"No, no, Kammy, I must get you out of Bycaster before The Wizard sends you back to Rogueport." He stated. Kamilia lowered her brows, greatly confused, but somewhat adored by her new nickname.

"Well, uh…why?"

He grabbed her shoulders. "You've been seeing creatures out here, haven't you?" he asked. "Creatures that resemble short shadows moving about?"

Kammy raised her eyebrows at this. She wasn't the only one seeing those things. She wasn't possessed or crazy or anything!

"They are called the Ashamed." Korallis explained. "They have come here from the Moon, which was their home for the longest of times until it was recently invaded by another alien race. Now, these Ashamed creatures are here to settle on our great nation of Het Naamkaartje. Only The Wizard and Emmera knew of this until I eavesdropped on a conversation they were having. Kamilia, this is a…very big matter."

Kammy was confused again. Perhaps she was just tired, but it seemed that there was a large piece of the puzzle she had yet to hear.

"Well...what does this have to do with me?" she asked quietly, suddenly getting nervous.

"Kammy, you are to rid Het Naamkaartje of the Ashamed army."

"What?" she exclaimed. "But…wait, how? Why?"

"Emmera's crystal ball." Korallis continued. "It gives very powerful sorcerers the ability to see the future. Now, I was never very talented at the crystal ball, but I did see a vision…a very powerful vision of you flying through the skies, destroying the Ashamed.

"You cannot defeat the army while in Rogueport, however. Which is why I have arranged for you to stow away on a merchant ship leaving in approximately…" he waved his wand and closed his eyes. "…ten minutes."

Kammy placed her claw upon her heart and stepped back a little bit. This was all coming at her so fast. It seemed that her entire destiny had just been laid out before her, a destiny of violence and war. A destiny she didn't quite want to carry out.

"Come, Kamilia, I will take you to the dock."

* * *

The waves were calming, even though Kammy's heart still raced faster than a stampede of Yoshis. The wooden dock creaked under the weight of the two Koopas as they hid in the shadows of the large ship, the few Toads, Koopas, and Goombas aboard looking incredibly tired. Korallis had given Kammy some sea-clothes and a large, pointed purple hat to conceal her beautiful facial features from the superstitious sailors. With the wide-brimmed hat and the tattered robes, Kamilia went from the most stunning girl in all of Bycaster to one so plain looking.

"I do not know exactly where this ship is going," Korallis stated as Kammy prepared to board her new life. "But, please, as soon as you hit the shore, get off this boat and stay low, understand? Chances are The Wizard's Clubbas will be looking for you, or maybe even the Ashamed. You must stay hidden, alright? Then contact me and I will meet up with you, where ever you are."

"Why can't you simply join me on this ship?" Kamilia asked.

"Because I do not want The Wizard or Emmera to get suspicious." He replied. "You must leave now and I will leave soon after I get your message."

"Alright, men, that's enough for one night." One of the Goomba sailors said as others began untying knots. Korallis and Kammy ducked down again to avoid being seen and looked back at each other. Even in the darkness of the twilit morning, they could see magic and love glowing in each others eyes.

"Well…I guess this is it then, Lady Kamilia?" Korallis whispered. Kammy gave a small laugh, but not one out of joy or humor, but to hide the horrible sadness she was feeling inside. The fact that she was to be on a ship with strangers for possibly days on end without Korallis, Shoshi…she would have even enjoyed Raphael's company on such a long journey. She was not yet ready to say good-bye to Bycaster, the enormous building still within eyesight. She was not yet ready to say good-bye to all of her new friends, or to leave without apologizing to Ivy's parents, or to give up her future for some boy's premonition.

But as she starred into Korallis' brown, sadly-empty eyes all-too early that morning, she knew that she had to.

"Please," she whispered. "Call me Kammy."

She pulled him in close and kissed him hard. That first kiss that said everything she wanted to tell him, but couldn't. That first kiss that took everything and anything that ever worried her and blew them all away. That first kiss that said, "If I die tomorrow, this is my I love you." And he just stood there for her, taking it all in.

Kammy then parted herself and, still grasping Korallis' claw, climbed aboard the hull of the ship, the ship that was going to be her home until she reached an even more alien and possibly dangerous destination. As the ship began to set sail, and the two claws were forced apart, Kammy heard a faint voice coming from the throat of her Koopa boy, an awkward call that sounded so shy, almost unconvincing.

"I love you, Kammy."

Her heart melted as she wiped her tears out of her eyes to get a clearer view of Korallis. However, the ship was moving fast and, in a matter of minutes, Korallis was out of sight.

All that was left to see what the giant Bycaster castle, it's white roof and shimmering white stone walls concealing a secret murderer, a mystery that would have to wait to be solved. For, at that moment, Kamilia Koopa pulled her purple brim over her sad face and began a whole new life.

* * *

**The title of this chapter is named after the song "Shadowland" from _The Lion King_ musical. I listened to it while writing this chapter and it definately fits. Check it out and respond, you cool kids!**


	15. A Change in the Wind

**Alright, guys, this has gotten complicated. For, seriously, about a week, this site hasn't let me upload this chapter. Fortunately, I've been doing some talking with fellow writers on Facebook (a rather pointless site, if you ask me) and they've told me how I can override the upload error. Thus, this chapter.**

**Now, I've been playing Super Paper Mario (an amazingly phenominal game) and it mentions a lot of things about Het Naamkaartje's past (Dark Prognosticus, King Croacus, etc.). Now, I'm going to try to give as mangy origins as I can possibly squeeze into this story, but there will be very few Super Paper Mario-related ones. I apologize (and might even go back and make even more origin stories relating to Count Bleck and Tippi...you never know).**

**And finally, I have heard the unofficial theme song of this series for the first time yesterday: If Everyone Cared by Nickelback. This is pretty much sums up every emotion and motivation that Bowser, Kammy, andPrincess Peach feel throughout the entire trilogy. Seriously, go find it and listen to it while reading this whole series. You'll understand why I chose it.**

**(Oh, and a very nice thank-you to L. Damarik Laizare and Queen B. of Randomness 016 for reviewing my last chapter. Thanks oodles guys!)**

* * *

She stayed cooped up behind a large pile of wooden crates for two whole days, watching Cheep Cheeps and Dolphins leaping out of the salty, blue water, completely alone. She could hear the sailors talking about their families, laughing and enjoying each other's company, playing cards and looking at naughty pictures of women. All the while, Kammy would listen to them talk, her body growing numb with aches, her hair becoming frizzy from the ocean air.

Her first day on the ship was spent crying silently. What else could she have done? She had never felt so hopeless in her entire life. Oh, how she longed to reveal herself to the sailors and talk among them. However, she knew that they would throw her overboard for being a stowaway. Or, at the very least, for being a woman.

However, her second day was spent thinking about Bycaster. Surely, by then, The Wizard and Emmera both must've realized she had run away. What were they doing about that? What was going to happen to Korallis? Were the Ashamed going to come out of hiding and attack because of her absence? What was going to happen to her dear friend, Shoshina? Or even the Human, Gregory Toadstool?

So many questions filled her mind to the brim, too many for her to comprehend, much less answer.

At nights, she would crawl out from her hiding place and search through the wooden crates that were to be delivered to far-off places, eating their contents. While she occasionally found one containing fresh, crisp fruits, most of the boxes were filled with smelly, raw fish and bland crackers. However, as Kammy quickly realized, beggars can't be choosers.

As the days drew to their ends, Kammy would watch from the stern, safely behind her crates, the sunset. Never in her life had she seen such a beautiful example of nature's power. The brilliant watercolors mixing with the crushing ocean waves only made her cry. It wasn't as if she did not think that the sight was absolutely paradisiacal. She still wept out of fear and loneliness. All she truly had were the memories of Bycaster and her suddenly-beautiful pointed purple hat.

* * *

A few days went by and Kamilia simply kept up with her routine. She hadn't talked a whole week, not even to herself. All she had done was listen to the sailors and their stories. This made her feel somewhat better about her own situation, for many of these men were extremely lonely.

For example: Erph the Goomba had once set off to sea with his wife, Teyt, on a cruise on one of the largest cruise ships in Het Naamkaartje. However, that night, a horrible storm erupted out of the ocean, caused by a dragon called Bonetail. While Erph managed to escape the onslaught alive, his wife was eaten along with ninety percent of the passengers. He stayed at sea because he believed that, one night, the spirit of his wife would come back to visit him and comfort him and tell him that everything will be alright. That day had yet to come.

Benar the Koopa was once the Crystal King's right-hand man until a ruthless and insane assassin (a Toad named Polanoth) shot at the King twice, missing him by merely inches. After the bow was discovered in Benar's room, the King had him dismissed (he was unable to be arrested, however, for the King had no real evidence that Benar was, in fact, the assassin). So Benar was sentenced to work for a merchant company until the King allowed for his return. That day, as well, had yet to come.

Kammy noticed how the sailors were incredibly and undeniably alone, as she was, even amongst all of their friends. Even if they sang songs and clapped and cheered during the day, they all went to sleep in their cabins cold, teary-eyed, and lonely.

With the exception of the Toads. It seemed to Kamilia that, for some sad reason, the Toads never had any stories to tell. A tear never slid down their slimy, amphibious cheeks. It was as if they knew only the emotion of hard work. Nothing else.

_'What a horrible way to live life.' _

_

* * *

_

One night it rained. Kammy felt absolutely miserable, getting soaked underneath the roaring rain. Only the large brim of her hat kept some of the rain out of her face, but that hardly prevented the wet clothes from sticking to her shapely body. She felt somewhat humiliated, but sort of wanted one of the sailors to find her and bring her into a cabin for warmth. She knew, however, that if they were to bring her into a room, rape would be the most probable thing they would have done. At that point, though, she hardly cared. She just yearned for attention, not in a selfish way, but in the same way that all humans feel: the need to be noticed.

However, Kamilia Koopa was never found by the sailors. For, at that very moment, through the rain and the wind and the sailors yells and cries and screams and swearing and trying to raise the sails, Kamilia could see and hear the approach of another ship.

Her first thoughts were those of happiness. Perhaps this was Korallis already? Perhaps they were a rescue team, out to save ships from horrible storms such as the one she was witnessing?

Suddenly, her hopeful thoughts turned into those of terror. What if that ship was one of the Ashamed war ships, trailing her every move already? What if it was The Wizard or Emmera, seeking to throw her back into the dungeon? Perhaps, even, it was the phantom cruise ship Erph sailed on, captained by his long-dead wife, and this storm was really Bonetail making a triumphant return?

As preposterous as the last idea sounded, it was quite clear that the bad possibilities greatly outnumbered the bad.

As the ship drew nearer, Kamilia's heart only raced faster. She wanted to scream out to the sailors to warn them of whatever was coming, for they were obviously distracted by the ever-growing storm, but she didn't want to frighten them and have her thrown overboard.

Suddenly, while Kammy was lost in her own thoughts, the sailors stopped shouting at each other long enough to notice the enormous ship approaching. It was easily twice the size of their own ship, with holes on the upper sides for cannons. The large sails were died a deep crimson color, resembling the hue of blood almost exactly. There were dark shadows aboard the ship looked completely menacing, with silhouettes of swords held in their hands and a bolt of lightning illuminating their evil-looking and scruffy faces. One word awoke Kamilia from her thoughts:

"Pirates!"

Suddenly, there was gunfire everywhere. Sailors cried out in pain as bullets and arrows soared through their heads, spraying a fine mist of blood everywhere. The sailors attempted desperately to reach their cabins or anywhere below deck to retrieve their weapons. However, these attempts were in vain, for these pirates knew the sea more than any of them. They embraced it, harnessed it, loved it, while most of the merchant sailors feared, loathed, or denied it.

Kamilia didn't know what to do, nearly loosing her all-too important hat in the wind, as the pirates began to throw ropes over to the merchant ship, climbing over to where she was, stabbing the sailors she had secretly grown to love and befriend. She watched in absolute agony as Benar had his neck slit by a cutlass. She watched his body tumble to the ground, motionless, and then quickly began to scan the now-battlefield for Erph. She could not let that poor creature die.

Suddenly, she saw him, struggling to fire his bow and arrow with his two stubby feet. Kamilia could see a large pirate (more than likely a Toad, from the looks of him) approach Erph quickly from behind, cutlass in his mighty webbed hands.

"Erph, watch out!" she cried out, without thinking. Erph, obviously reacting to the mysterious, feminine voice, rolled out of the Toad pirate's way. He whacked the pirate hard on the head with his bow and ran over to the crates where he heard the voice.

Kammy grabbed him and pulled him behind the large wooden boxes. He let out a yelp, but Kammy's soft touch quickly silenced it. He looked up at her dazzling and beautiful face, like an angel coming down from Heaven to aid the merchant sailors.

"Who…who are you?" he suddenly asked demandingly.  
"My name is Kamilia Koopa." She said somewhat fast, for her jaw muscles hadn't been used in days, so the sentence came out mumbled. "Look, we need to…"

Her voice drifted off. She hadn't yet thought of what they had to do. All she knew what that they were together on a merchant ship, which was being invaded by pirates, in the middle of a horrible storm. A storm that obviously made Erph uneasy, for every large wave that hit the side of the boat made him jump slightly and shiver. Kammy felt sad for him (it was clear that he was feeling this way because of the tragic memories he had of the night he and his wife went for a cruise) but she had no time to sympathize. The pirates were…

"Gotcha!" the Toad pirate shouted as he grabbed hold of both Kammy's wrist and Erph's foot.

Kammy felt a scream escape her and felt weak. She needed to regain her composure and fight against these thieves and murderers.

"Well, well, gents…look's like we got ah-selves a cute li'l princess aboard." He sneered, laughing. Kamilia could smell the reeking stench of raw tobacco in his lips.

"Ooh, a nice li'l plaything for our long voyages." A one-eyed Koopa chuckled. "It does get quite lonely out in dem open wa'ers."

Kamilia could feel all of the pirates immediately stopping their attack on starring at her wet body. With both of her wrists now suspended in the air by the Toad, she had no way of fighting back. She could feel her wand in her robe. If she could only reach it…

"'Ey, gents, look at 'er pretty hat!" Another Toad shouted, swiping the hat off her head and putting on his.

Suddenly, Kammy got a brilliant idea. She just needed a blunt object to concentrate on. Hard. Her eyes darted around the deck of the ship. She needed to find something…

"With 'er hat off, she does look much more fetchin', aye, boys?"

There was a small cannonball rolling back and forth on the wooden deck with the waves. She narrowed her eyes, concentrating on nothing but that small, black cannonball…

"Well, wha' the 'ell are we doin' just standin' 'ere, boys? I 'aven't had any action since our stop a' Rogueport. Let's get 'er onboard an'…"

The Toad pirate stopped suddenly, the sound of pain emerging from his mouth instead of words. He then collapsed, releasing Kammy and Erph, with a large, bleeding bump on his head.

The pirates all backed away from the unconscious Toad, curious. They all then looked up at the Koopa who had taken her hat, their eyes growing wide with fear. The Koopa looked at them, uneasy.

"Wha'? Wh-Wha' is it?"

They were all looking at the wide-brimmed purple hat, floating off of his head. He looked up and watched it, nearly screaming like a child, levitate from his head to the blonde locks of Kammy Koopa, her wand withdrawn, the cannonball at her feet.

Erph stood behind her, however he, too, was greatly frightened of her. It was in every sailor's nature, to be superstitious.

"Now, you listen to me," Kamilia announced over the roar of the storm. "I will be nobody's plaything, especially not for the likes of scum like you!"

Normally, the pirates would have cried out profanities at the girl, drawn out their weapons, and attack mercilessly. However, this time was a different matter. Instead, they threw their weapons to the ground, fell to their knees, and began praying. Kammy looked at the cowards, confused.

"What are you doing?" she asked slowly.

"They are praying to the Almighty Seer," Erph explained. "They believe that you are an evil spirit, here to punish them for their wicked ways."

Kammy looked at the older Goomba in disbelief. Erph grinned up at her.

"You begin to believe silly things when you've been at sea for long."

Kamilia gave the pirates a look of pity and despicableness before saying, "Listen! I am no evil spirit, nor have I been sent from Heaven to punish you for anything. I am merely a sorceress."

And the sound of this, the pirates began to look at one another, eyes wide, and began babbling. Kamilia's heart skipped as she, too, began praying that she didn't set her and Erph up for another attack.

"However, this does not mean that I won't use my magic to harm you if you insist on harming us!" she shouted.

The one-eyed Koopa approached Kammy, still trying to sneak a peek at her chest. "I 'pologize, sorceress. We all do."

He looked back at the rest of his crew, who suddenly, to Kammy, looked like a loveable cast from a stage play rather than bloodthirsty pirates who had killed everyone save for her and Erph, and then continued.

"We…we wish for ye to accompany us on a li'l quest." He explained. "We be in need of yer…talents."

"I'm not interested." Kammy said firmly.

"Oh, but think of all the treasure that we could be findin'." He continued. "The rubies, sapphires…gold!"

"I have no interest in such things." Kammy lied.

The Koopa gave Kamilia a faint grin of disbelief before turning his shell to her to face the rest of his men.

"Gents!" he announced. "How 'bout we introduce this lassy to…Merlon?"

The pirates began to babble again before nodding their heads eagerly. Kamilia cocked her head, puzzled.

"Who's Merlon?" she asked.

"Ha!" a Toad cried out from the crowd. "Merlon be only the strongest and wisest sorcerer in all of Het Naamkaartje. More powerful, even, than The Great Wizard of the West!"

This intrigued the young Koopa girl. A wizard more powerful than _The_ Wizard? She shot a look down at Erph, who nodded, implying that the pirates were, in fact, telling the truth. Eyes narrowed, guard up, and her brim lowered, she asked,

"Where is this Merlon?"

* * *

**This chapter is a little messy. When this web site decides to upload chapters regularly again, I'll fix it. Again, please, read and respond. **


	16. The Origin of Black Thunder

**Well, writer's block sure did a number on me during the beginning of this chappie. It's been an uber long time since I've updated, so here's some...well...updates!**

**First off, I finished the last Harry Potter book and...wow...no spoilers, but it was intense. The ending could've been better, but...the book as a whole was amazingly well done. Kudos, JK Rowling.**

**Second, for anyone whose been checking the Super Smash Bros Brawl website, you've all seen just how amazingly sweet Bowser looks (I'm so excited!). Also, his Smash Attack is turning into, that's right, Giga Bowser!! Ahh man...now if only King Toadstool was a playable character...**

**ON TO RESPONSES: **

**Queen B of Randomess: Yes, Super Paper Mario is out and IS amazing! It's not an RPG, but the way you handle the Wiimote is just too much fun. I highly suggest it.**

**L. Damark Laizare: Merlon is definately one of the most mysterious characters in the story, but I think you'll find a bunch of other characters from the past far more interesting after you read this chappie.**

**Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Cortez! Man, if I had thought of that sooner...I'll try to find a way to incorporate him in here. He was one of my favoriote bosses from PM:TYD. Eh well...where do you come up with all these fantastic ideas?**

**Now, onto the chapter...**

* * *

The island puzzled Kammy, for it was unlike any other she had ever seen. True enough it floated on the ocean's surface, but its beaches were not made of sand nor did its palm trees have crisp leaves. Instead, small tan-colored blocks covered this island's shores and the leaves upon the trees were blocky, almost as if made of polygons.

Kamilia kept her eyes on the bizarre isle, but her attentive mind was constantly wary of the pirates behind her. They did not keep her nor her newfound friend, Erph, prisoner in any way, but they still had weapons and outnumbered the Koopa by enough. She knew that her offensive magic could've kept them at bay, but she was exhausted and wouldn't be able to fend the scallywags off for long.

Above the island were hundreds upon thousands of, quizzically enough, arithmetic equations, as if a bright child had written them on the sky in blue crayon. This entire place baffled Kamilia, who had to look away from the sky equations to prevent a major headache.

"We're almost there, missy." A pirate said. This made Kammy quite nervous, for this place frightened her. It was too strange of a place, far more intriguing than Bycaster. What matter of creatures lived at such a place? What kind of wizard was Merlon to live isolated on such an insane island?

"Um, if I may inquire as to what island we are approaching?" Kammy questioned.

The one-eyed Koopa gave Kammy a disgusting, toothy grin, at least seven gold teeth shimmering in the bright sun. "Flipside Isle, me dear. Flipside Isle."

* * *

The cube-shaped grains of sand underneath her feet felt as normal as normal sand would feel. However, Kammy knew that this island was just as strange as she assumed the moment she walked off the ship. As soothing as it felt to finally be able to walk on dry land again, Kammy was nervous. She had no idea where she was and the only people who could tell her were a bunch of ruthless pirates and an old Goomba.

There was also this Merlon. What was he to be like? Was he even a he? Perhaps, calling such a bizarre place home, he was an it? Stranger things have happened.

Assuming that Merlon had, in fact, a certain gender, did he wear grand robes like The Wizard she knew? Was he a handsome man? Perhaps he was her age and understood her young adult issues…like being accused of murder and running away from a prison?

Another awful thought entered her mind. She was putting all of her faith in a pirate crew. Obviously not the smartest thing for a pretty young girl to do. The possibility of this whole island being a trap still lingered in her mind and she had her claw on her wand the entire time she walked next to the smelly group of scallywags.

"Ol' Merlon might be a li'l su'prized to be seein' non-pirate comp'ny." A skinny Goomba pirate scuffed. "Poor gent's lived 'ere by 'imself 'is whole life."

The pirates led Kammy and Erph to a small cottage directly below the largest palm tree on the island; a palm tree, mind you, that had blazing red leaves instead of the usual green.

"'Ere 'e lives then." A pirate pointed at the cottage, covered with sand and sea shells, hints of small beach creatures living within, but certainly not a powerful wizard like Merlon. Why would he live in such a crummy place when he could command power beyond the cosmos?

"Are…you sure?" she asked, still unconvinced. "Merlon lives in _this_ hut?"

The pirates all nodded eagerly. "Yep. Just step on in, li'l missy, he should be in there somewheres."

Somewhat nervous, Kammy crept into the small building, avoiding tiny crabs as she did so. Erph followed cautiously behind her, looking around at the strange place. The walls were bare save for a few scratches…or perhaps they were drawings? Kammy could make out quite a few features on one in particular. The larger nose, the longer hair, the mysterious eyes: it resembled a crude doodle of Gregory Toadstool…

Suddenly, Kammy felt the floor give out from underneath her as she fell into darkness. She could barely make out the cries of laughter coming from the pirates between her screams and Erph's shouting. Suddenly, she hit something hard: a slide? As if sliding down a metal waterfall, Kammy and Erph slid through the darkness, with a few lightning bolts of purples or greens emerging from nowhere.

Before Kamilia could think _'What is going on here?'_, she and Erph landed, quite gently, on two rather comfortable chairs. However, right as the two were about to catch their breath, the chairs began walking towards a long stone table! Erph looked startled, but Kammy suddenly knew where they were. This must've been Merlon's true lair.

"You are correct, Kamilia Koopa."

She gave a slight jump as she searched the enormous, dark room for any sign of who could've said that, though it seemed that the voice appeared inside her head rather than in her ears.

"That's because I was speaking to you telepathically."

"Who said that?" Erph cried out. That time, obviously, the voice spoke out loud, though it wasn't the booming, crisp voice Kammy heard in her head. This voice was much older, cackling and wheezy.

"That's because I'm old, gimmie a break!" the voice shouted again, only this time it was clear that it came from right behind Kammy. She spun around and was face-to-face with a dark creature, cloaked in reds and purples and blues, his face masked by shadows with the exception of his glowing, yellow eyes. Kammy gave out a slight cry as she laid eyes on the man.

The mysterious thing put both of its hands up in the air. "No, no, please, Kamilia, do not be frightened." He said in his creaky voice. "I am the one you seek. I am Merlon."

Kammy narrowed her eyes to better her vision as to see what face was hiding behind the dark cloak's hood.

"Are you?" she asked, somewhat embarrassed. "Um…I was told that Merlon was an…all-powerful wizard?"

The creature nodded, stopped, then lowered his head, sighing. "I realize that I do not look like much." He said. "That is merely because my physical appearance means very little to me now. What I could've spent on my own life I chose to spend on the lives of others." He smiled, Kammy sensed. "That is what makes a good wizard, not looks."

Erph grunted in agreement as Kammy nodded. Surely this man was wise beyond his years…however old he was.

"I'm only a hundred and six."

"Um…how do you…" Kammy began, but then shook her head. "Never mind."

"Tell me, child, why are you here?" Merlon asked.

"Well, you see -"

"Aha, wait, do not tell me!" Merlon suddenly burst out. "Because I already know! My pirates have kidnapped you, haven't they?"

Kammy blinked, puzzled. "Um, yes, they…I mean…I'm sorry, _your_ pirates?"

"Well, they aren't mine exactly." Merlon stated. "They are simply very good friends of mine with life debts. I've saved their lives from justice and, in turn, they must do whatever I tell them to."

Erph was suddenly outraged. "Did you tell your pirates to attack my ship?" he shouted. "Because me and this stowaway witch were the only survivors!"

Merlon suddenly went silent, not looking at Erph at all, but at Kamilia. "Oh…my mistake, I must've…a _witch_, did you say?"

"Um, sorceress." Kammy replied; she despised the thought of being considered a witch, as vile and ugly as they were.

Merlon continued to stare, not directly at Kammy, but through her, as if in a daze.

"So…you've gone to Bycaster, I assume?"

"Well, um…actually, sir, that's my problem."

"Oh?" he asked. "Why is this?"

Kammy began to unfold her story, of how she and Shoshi got into fights, how Raphael cheated on her, how Gregory Toadstool suddenly arrived, of Korallis and his perfection, of the shadows and the Ashamed and the prophesy. Mostly, though, she spoke of the Black Thunder curse upon Ivy, and how Emmera and The Great Wizard treated her like a criminal. Suspiciously enough, that was the part Merlon was most intrigued.

"And you say that The Great Wizard expelled you because of this Black Thunder?" he asked. Kammy nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Erph, his narrow eyes glued to the Koopa girl, for he had never heard this story, either.

Merlon sighed. "Grendel always was paranoid of things he didn't understand."

Kammy tilted her head. "I'm sorry, who?"

Merlon seemed to have not heard her. "Black Thunder…what a name from the past. No wonder he was frightened: that curse was never supposed to leave our house! I told him, how many times did I tell him…"

"Merlon." Kammy interrupted. "What are you talking about?"

"Kamilia Koopa, Grendel…The Great Wizard…he is my older brother."

This came as a shock to Kammy, not because Merlon and The Great Wizard were related, but because Merlon was younger than The Wizard! He looked old enough to be The Great Wizard's grandfather!

"I told you, looks matter very little." Merlon said. Before Kammy could protest, Merlon continued. "Black Thunder was a project me and Grendel have worked on for over fifty years. It was a spell so powerful that it could kill any creature with no possible protection against it. We were both proud when we finally perfected it, but we were also incredibly scared. We had perfected the most merciless curse in all of history!

"Now, I wanted to simply pretend that we had never created the spell in the first place, to bury it in our minds so that, when we passed on, the curse would go along with our spirits, never to be discovered. Grendel, however, wanted to take it to our king to teach to our armies. Crystal Kingdom would never loose another war again!

"However, this meant that it would have to be taught. I refused to teach it to anyone, such an unforgiving spell. Grendel, however, jumped at the chance to teach innocent people how to kill. That is why he became The Wizard of Bycaster.

"Now, it was, of course, incredibly illegal to teach anyone outside the armies Black Thunder, so the teachers and professors from Bycaster became soldiers themselves, simply to learn the curse. They told the king that it was in case evil overcame the school, to protect the students from harm. I believe, however, that the entire community living within the walls of Bycaster was up to something far more sinister. Something I was never able to put my finger on. Now, however, we might have some sort of lead.

"Black Thunder was used by someone there. The only question now is who?"

Kammy absorbed the tale like sunlight to a flower. This curse was a secret right up until a few weeks ago. And The Wizard, Emmera, the entire faculty knew the spell! Was it possible one of them framed her? She couldn't think of any reasons why, but it was still a possibility.

"So, this Black Thunder thing is the most powerful spell in the whole world, right?" Erph asked.

"I believe so, yes." Merlon replied.

"Well, then teach it to Kammy here so she can go back and kill whoever framed her." Erph said. "Simple as that."

"What?" Kammy shouted.

"If we send her back to Bycaster knowing the spell, then Grendel and Guinevere would have solid evidence that she performed the curse." Merlon stated. Kammy could only assume that Guinevere was Emmera's first name.

"Then what else is she supposed to do?" Erph asked.

"Well, I'm not about to kill somebody!" Kammy replied angrily.

"No, but I do believe that it was not an accident that you ended up here, Kammy." Merlon said. "So, tomorrow morning, you shall begin your training."

Kammy looked at the wizard. "Beg pardon, sir?"

"Well, am I not Merlon, a wizard greater than even Bycaster's?" he asked in a booming voice. "And are you, young Kamilia Koopa, not a sorceress in training?"

Kammy blinked. "Well, yes, sir, I am."

"Then, Kammy, by the time you leave this island, be in twenty days or twenty years," Merlon promised. "You will be the most powerful sorceress in all of Het Naamkaartje!"

* * *

**That's all I got for right now...I've been working on a bunch of non-fan fiction works so...yeah...but I'll try to stop slacking off and update sooner! Read and respond please!**


	17. A Day in the Life of The Next Few Years

**Wow...I need to honestly thank Mr. Gijinka Ranamon for reminding me that I still need to finish this crazy trilogy! Thanks, pal! In all seriousness, it's your review that got me back into the swing of things and, hopefully, my story will be finished really soon (at least, by the end of this year haha).**

**I've been in a really big slump lately. I'm just starting college (for anybody following my Author's Notes, I started the KotK Trilogy back in...what...my sophomore year of high school? And now I'm a freshman in college...man, how time flies. It's unbelievable that, through all that, this story is still in my mind and my heart. What's even more amazing is that it's in the minds and hearts of fans of Bowser, Peach, and Kamilia Koopa. God bless you all. I feel like getting all sentimental on you guys, the ones who have made this story worth telling over and over again...but that's not what you're here for.**

**You're here for the next freaking chapter of _King of the Koopas: Something Wicked!_**

* * *

"Good morning, Kamilia." Merlon said cheerfully.

Kammy was exhausted and looked miserable. She had stayed up that whole night, lying in the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, thinking about everything that Merlon had said. The Great Wiza…Grendel helped create the Black Thunder? So not only did he have it perfected, but he knew everything else about it. The hand and wand motions, the proper mouthing techniques, everything. Had he fired the spell upon Ivy? Did Emmera? Did any other professor in the building?

Those thoughts simply created more questions, such as, if Grendel and Merlon were brothers, and if Grendel knew about the Ashamed, wouldn't Merlon know about them, too? Wouldn't he, being the more powerful and wise wizard, tell her how to take care of such creatures? Wouldn't he be able to tell her if the vision Korallis saw in Emmera's crystal ball was really her destiny?

However, Kammy had very little time for these questions, for, when she walked out of her small room in the underground lair that morning, she was greeted by chipper Merlon, who was eager to start their training.

"We still start your training immediately after breakfast, got it?" Merlon said as Kammy yawned loudly.

"Alright," Kammy replied drowsily. She could see Erph standing on his chair at the table, eating what appeared to be slices of gathered fruit. When he looked in her direction, he gave her a welcoming nod.

She ate slowly as to prepare herself for what was coming next. She didn't know just how ruthless Merlon could be. He wanted to train her to become the greatest sorceress the nations have ever seen; chances are he wasn't going to go easy on her.

As she swallowed the last piece of her papaya, she stood up and looked over at Merlon. He had nearly fallen back asleep waiting for her to finish eating, but as soon as he caught sight of Kammy's empty plate, he seemed to wake up immensely.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

Kammy reluctantly nodded her head, dreading what was coming next. Merlon smiled from underneath his hood.

"Then let's get started."

Kammy swallowed nervously.

* * *

They were standing on two sides of a dark stadium crudely shaped out of solid rock. Dents and cracks were made in the walls; signs that other people blessed by magic have trained here in the past.

"Very few," Merlon stated from the other side of the stadium. "but your attention shouldn't be on my alumni. They should be on defending yourself against-"

Before she could even hear the end of Merlon's sentence, Kamilia felt a painful blow from the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground, grasping her head. Erph stood on the sidelines, still eating his breakfast.

"Hey, Missy, get up, will ya?" he shouted, as Kamilia weakly attempted to do so. "This guy's gonna tear you apa-"

Another blow, this one hitting her shaking legs, knocking her down on her face. She could feel blood trickling down from her nose past her lips. Merlon stood at the other side of the stadium, as if he hadn't even moved.

"This is your training, Kamilia." He stated calmly. "Of course, if you want to stay here for the next forty years, that's fine by me. I've got all the time in the world."

Another eruption of light from the tip of his wand, hitting Kamilia hard in the stomach, forcing her to double over and throw up bits of her breakfast. She struggled to her feet, gasping for breath, holding her waist, rethinking this entire thing.

"But you…you don't have much time." The powerful wizard said, as he fired another blast of magic at the girl's face. "The Ashamed are coming quickly, Kammy, and it is you who can stop them!"

However, Merlon didn't hear the slightest sound of pain emerge from Kammy's mouth that time. Instead, he saw his attack spell floating in midair, inches away from the girl's face. Kammy was breathing heavy, tears in her eyes from her injured nose, blood staining her lips a bright, beautiful red. With a flick of her wand, Merlon's attack spell was sent back to him, missing him by mere feet, exploding behind him.

Merlon smiled. How Kamilia could tell this, she wasn't sure. His entire face, save for his glowing yellow eyes, were shadowed in darkness. Maybe his telepathy could also display moods?

"Good." He said. "But there is-"

"- is more to do."

Kamilia suddenly heard Merlon's voice right behind her! She spun around with just enough time to see a blast of pink explode in her face, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

When she awoke, she wasn't in any pain. Her ribs didn't feel broken anymore. Her nose was no longer dripping blood. Even her migraine was gone. She was lying on her side of the stadium again, completely healed.

Where Merlon was could've been anybody's guess. How long she was out for was an even bigger mystery. It seemed like only minutes, but for all she knew she was out cold for days.

"You've been asleep for about three hours, Missy."

Kamilia jumped, only to see Erph waddling towards her. His bushy gray mustache bobbed up and down with every step he took, his sad, dark eyes looking this way and that. Though he was conscious for those three hours Kammy wasn't, he still knew very little about Merlon and this hideout of his. As all sailors are, Erph was nervous.

"Where is Merlon?"

Erph shrugged.

Kammy sighed.

There was a long pause. This was the first time Kammy and Erph had ever been alone. Erph had no idea was to say to this young sorceress who saved his life from those pirates. He wasn't sad by the loss of his fellow sailors either. Of course, it was a horrible shame, but Erph had more than his fair share of tragedies in his life. He was a hard Goomba and wasn't about to let a strange cave and even stranger wizard break him.

"Erph…" Kammy hesitated. "I…I'm really sorry about your wife."

Erph's eyes widened for a split second, then he lowered his gaze and grunted.

"It happened." He said coldly. Just cold enough for Kammy to know that he was masking his emotions.

"She…you see, it was our anniversary." He finally began. "Our tenth wedding anniversary. We were both so young back then. She was the most beautiful creature you could've possibly laid your eyes on."

He paused.

"She…she wanted to go in one of those giant airships. Up in the sky. Far away from her job and our mortgages…but I was a young adventurer with a passion for the sea and I said 'No, honey, I've got us two tickets for a pleasure cruise!'…I could tell that she wasn't too keen on the idea. But she loved me…and tolerated me and my stupid ideas…

"So we went on that godforsaken boat and sailed off into that godforsaken ocean…those first two nights were magical. We were like children again on that ship. Other passengers got so annoyed by our antics, but we hardly cared. We were young. We simply wanted to have fun. And we did. Oh, how we did…

"On the third night…on the third night…it came out of nowhere…"

Kammy could see a tear gathering in Erph's eye, but the Goomba stopped his story and shut his eyes. No tear rolled down his cheek. He wouldn't allow it. Instead, he turned to Kamilia, eyes still slightly damp, and said, "You saved my life, Missy. And for that, I say thank you."

As he began to walk away, he turned and said, "And that's really something. I hardly thank anybody for anything!"

Kamilia grinned at this. Two friends who never started out to be friends. She knew everything about him, just as he knew everything about her. And, while any other creature his age would find lustful pleasure in Kammy's appearance, Erph felt nothing but trust and friendship in her.

Because he was still in love with his wife.

"The most beautiful creature you could've possibly laid your eyes on."

* * *

It was Kammy's fifth day at Merlon's place. She got four breaks a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleep. All of those brutal hours in between were spent on training. Ruthless, merciless, and undoubtedly helpful training.

Again, Kammy's face was bruised and bleeding. Again, Merlon was untouched and maybe even growing sleepy. Kammy, however, was starting to understand how to defend herself against Merlon's seemingly-unstoppable attacks.

"You need to-"

A blast flew past her face.

"- feel my magic-"

A blast just barely missed her feet.

"- and predict where it will all-"

"Gah!" she screamed as she grabbed her face and fell to the ground.

"- end up."

Her face felt as if it was on fire. She slapped herself silly, trying to dose this imaginary flame to no prevail. Suddenly, a gentle pink mist fell over her, erasing the pain. Merlon stood above her.

"You are learning, Kamilia." He said and we walked back to his side of the stadium. "Not fast, by any means, but you are learning."

Kamilia frowned. She was beginning to miss the silly old Merlon she knew when they first met.

"I can read your thoughts, Kamilia!" Merlon shouted.

* * *

It was night. Her twenty-third day would be upon her tomorrow. For now, however, Kamilia was getting a well-deserved rest.

And, for the first time since she got to Flipside, Kammy thought of Bycaster.

She wondered if the Ashamed army was already upon the school? Upon the entire nation of Het Naamkaartje? What was the Crystal King and his new Ice Queen going to do about this? Would there be a full-scale war? Surely, the king's army could hold off the Ashamed. If they couldn't, what made Korallis think that she could?

Kamilia sat up suddenly, inhaling quickly. Korallis! How, for the love of the Almighty Seer, how could she have forgotten his last few words to her?

_"I do not know exactly where this ship is going," Korallis stated as Kammy prepared to board her new life. "But, please, as soon as you hit the shore, get off this boat and stay low, understand? Chances are The Wizard's Clubbas will be looking for you, or maybe even the Ashamed. You must stay hidden, alright? Then contact me and I will meet up with you, where ever you are."_

Contact him? How? Surely, the PostKoopa didn't have a route all the way out here. And she didn't know how to communicate via wand yet! Damn it, that was going to be taught to her _the week after_ her duel with Ivy!

Kammy's thoughts were all over the place. She would have to contact him tomorrow…she would_ have_ to! Merlon would be able to teach her how, surely, and…

There was a faint glow coming from her nightstand. Her wand…the tip was glowing. Why? Always the curious one, Kammy reached for it and, the second her gentle claw touched it, an image of a Koopa appeared. And no other image could've made her happier.

"Korallis…"

And there he was, looking as handsome as ever. His dashing brown hair was now shoulder-length, his proud blue shell just barely poking out behind his enormous muscles. In her claw was his navy-blue wand.

"Kamilia." He said. His voice echoed silently, as if a dream. "You didn't contact me, so I figured I would contact you."

"I'm so sorry." Kammy begged. "I was busy training here with Merlon and-"

"Don't apologize, Kammy." He said. His voice was hollow and far away…probably just a side-effect of talking via wand. "Listen, you must stay there and continue your training. There is no reason to come back to Bycaster now. The Wizard and Emmera have already forgotten about you and the Ashamed are not to attack for many years now."

This left Kammy speechless…weak…angry.

"But…but, Korallis, you said that they were attacking soon! And that I was the only one who could stop them! That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

"Kamilia, they will still attack." He said in that monotone, echoing voice. "But not yet. When they do, you must be re-re-ready."

The image of Korallis was fading, blinking away.

"Korallis, I'm losing you!"

"K-Kammy…t-there's…man that you…come ho…shamed are…Kammy…he is…evi-"

And the image was gone.

Kammy sat on her bed, thinking about what Korallis had said…and how he said it. When he was talking about her staying here to train, he sounded so empty. When he was fading away, however, he seemed very alert, very awake…very scared. As if he was trying to communicate something before he vanished.

Kammy laid her head down on her pillow. She wasn't in any shape to go back to Bycaster. According to Korallis, she had no reason to. Not yet. She would have to continue her training and be ready for the Ashamed.

And continue her training she did.

* * *

**Next chappie, guys, you'll be getting more of what you love. Trust me, true believers...it's going to be the one to read. See you all then!**


	18. Three Long Years in the Making

**Wow, guys. Just..._wow._**

**It's been three years since I even typed this website into my browser. Three long, crazy, occasionally painful, very confusing, yet very educational years. I'm back a changed man, hopefully a better man, just as Kammy Koopa is back a better sorceress.**

**Just as it has been three years since I updated _KotK_, it has also been three years since Kammy started her training. So, in a weird, cop-out sort of way, it all makes sense haha.**

**I doubt anyone is even still reading this story, but know that I'm back for good. I will be updating this story on a regular basis, and anyone who is still reading it will be very much rewarded by the end. And, for those of you who still care, I love and appreciate you like you wouldn't believe.**

**Now...let's get back to the epic story...**

* * *

The sun was shining brightly that early morning, reflecting off of the oceans waves with a blinding intensity. There was a cool breeze that just managed to mask the island heat, giving the island a paradisiacal feel. The hot sand was smooth and soft beneath her feet as she stepped out of the old hut that disguised the entrance to Merlon's dark home.

Over the years, Kammy had been allowed to go outside for the weekend and rest, enjoy the outside world without having to worry about Merlon's strict regimen. Living underground for that long had caused her eyesight to be very sensitive, and she now needed to wear enchanted glasses whenever she was exposed to the sun; a small price to pay for the lessons she was receiving. Every single day on Flipside Isle was an absolute joy, a beautiful painting brought to life, but that morning was the most exciting of them all.

Merlon and Erph joined her, Merlon hiding in the cool shade of his hut. Erph's mustache was starting to grey, but he was still as hard-working and able as ever. He didn't spend the past three years just watching Kammy train by the sidelines; he was working on honing his body, as well.

For three years Kammy had been training in that dark, underground world. Merlon had become her professor and her guardian, Erph her brother and confidant. She had matured down there, and while she still had her amazing looks, she also had scars and bruises caused by the intense training. At first, she tried to mask these scars, these blemishes on her skin that others might mock. However, over the years, she started to wear them with pride. She wasn't a young socialite anymore. She was now a warrior.

Around her neck, she wore a necklace discovered by one of the pirates on their many journeys before their death. It was a thick golden chain with a large golden mushroom hanging proudly from it. It was heavy, but Kammy couldn't get the pirate's words out of her head: "I know me good luck charms, Missy, and this one be the luckiest!" She didn't believe in such superstitious things, but...a little luck could never hurt.

She had trained harder than she ever thought possible, and had become stronger than Emmera, maybe even Grendel himself. She was ready to leave Flipside Isle. She was ready to confront Bycaster and solve the mystery of who framed her for Ivy's horrible murder. She was even ready to do battle against the Ashamed, whether they were actually invading or not. And, perhaps more than anything else, Kammy was ready to see Korallis.

She hadn't seen Korallis since that mysterious night in her room. He had no idea where he was or what he was up to, whether or not the Ashamed were attacking or if he was, for whatever reason, bluffing. Out of every mission she had, returning to Bycaster, holding off the Ashamed, even simply leaving Flipside…she was most nervous about discovering just what Korallis was trying to tell her.

Merlon placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"You can stay as long as you wish, Kamilia." he said to the Koopa. "But know that there _is _a danger within Het Naamkaartje. I believe it is one that only you may face."

Kammy sighed as she remembered. Last year, Merlon's pirates went out to sea, as they often did, to collect information about Het Naamkaartje, Bycaster, Rogueport, and anything else Kammy or Merlon might find important. However, that day, they never returned. Merlon knew they wouldn't try to run off, since the The Crystal King had a large bounty on all of their heads, and Merlon was able to protect them. They were too sneaky and experienced to get caught by a royal officer, so Merlon's only thought was that they all perished at the hands of some other force. Something dangerous.

Erph grunted.

"Look, Merl, no offense, but we're not staying in that cave for another day." he growled.

"He's right," Kammy replied. "I've learned a lot here, more than I ever thought I would. But…"

How would she put this?

"…I think I have a destiny I need to fulfill."

Merlon nodded his hooded head.

"Indeed, I believe you do, as well."

He turned his back to Kammy and Erph.

"I do hope that your training is enough. If you ever feel the need to return-"

Kammy grabbed Merlon and hugged him tightly from behind. Merlon, for the first time in months, allowed himself to laugh.

"Thank you, Merlon." Kammy whispered. "I couldn't have asked for a better mentor."

"Best wishes to you, as well, Kamilia." he responded warmly. "May the Almighty Seer watch over you on your quest."

After a long two minutes of holding on to him, Kammy finally let go of the wisest man she'd ever known and walked out to the bright red boat waiting for her on the beach. Erph was already inside, their light luggage next to him.

"See you later, Merl!" he called out, attempting a wave with his large Goomba foot.

Kammy climbed into the red boat, which had white, feathery wings on each side. A tear was building in her eye, a lump in her throat. Erph placed a foot on her knee.

"You OK, Missy?"

Kammy stared down at her luggage, which consisted of one change of clothes, three spell books, her wand, and her wide-rimmed purple hat. She removed the hat and placed it on her head of beautiful silver hair. Even with her glasses, the sun was giving her a headache, and the wide rim of her favorite hat shielded the harsh rays. Kammy then blinked her tear away and cleared her throat.

"Let's go."

Kammy could feel the boat rising off of the surface of the island she had learned to call home. She was headed back to a world that didn't want her, a world that thought her a murderer and a witch. She had been given a second chance to make things right, armed with a variety of spells and defenses to aid her. The only spell she never even touched was the Black Thunder. She never once considered how helpful it might be in battle against the Ashamed Army. She only knew that the spell was terrible, violent, evil, and the very spell she was accused of knowing. She vowed she would never learn the spell for as long as she lived.

As they sailed over the magnificent sea, Erph laid down and shut his eyes.

"Missy," he said. "What is your plan for when you return to Bycaster?"

Kammy snapped herself out of her own thoughts and straightened herself up.

"I plan on figuring out exactly who killed Ivy," she said. "I will interrogate every single staff member there if I have to. Then, I will-"

"But what if whoever did kill Ivy used an amnesia spell of themself?" Erph suggested. "Isn't that what you said Grendel accused you of doing?"

"Yes," Kammy admitted. "And I had thought of that."

Erph looked up.

"Really?"

"Merlon told me that every single spell used on a person leaves behind a trace of that person. Like…like how gunpowder can be traced back to a specific gun. I need to find Ivy's remains and…"

Her voice trailed off as she thought back to that horrifying sight. The Black Thunder didn't leave any remains. It completely destroyed Ivy, literally disintegrating her to dust. She was sure nobody would've taken the time to sweep up the dust for a burial.

So…if there were no remains…and the killer erased the memory from their minds…was there a way to find the killer?

"And…?" Erph urged.

"…I trust Merlon's teachings." she finally said. Indeed, Merlon had taught her a lot. Three books-worth of spells. She had often asked Merlon which of these spells would be used to help her find Ivy's killer.

"All of them." he would say. "You will see the murderer and instantly know what to do."

This was, without doubt, the most cryptic advice Merlon had ever said to her within the past three years, but if there was one thing she learned throughout all of her rigorous training, it was to trust Merlon at all costs.

Erph seemed to buy this, since he once again laid his large head down and closed his eyes.

"And what about me?" he suddenly said.

Kammy looked at Erph, her brows lowering in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You know…what will happen to me? Now that you're all strong and you have your destiny and all that?"

Kammy struggled to understand what the Goomba was saying. She knew he hadn't developed feelings for her, or vice versa. So surely he wasn't trying to confess his love to her…or maybe he was, now that they were finally alone for the first time in three years?

"I…I don't…"

Erph sighed and rolled over.

"Nevermind. I'll just…go back to sea the second we land."

Suddenly, Kammy understood. Erph had abandoned life once his wife died. He left his life of excitement to be a lowly sailor in hopes of finding his wife again. Over the years, he had accepted the fact that his dear wife was gone, yet stayed a sailor because he felt that was all we was capable of. When he unwillingly accompanied Kammy to Flipside, he felt a part of something. He felt alive, like he had a purpose. However, now they were going back to the real world. He knew Kammy had a place there. He didn't know if he had one.

Kammy nodded.

"You will come with me." She finally said. Erph rolled back over and looked at her.

"What?"

"You've been training, too. You're a strong Goomba, and you're a wise Goomba, and you're a Goomba who has a lot to fight for. A lot to live for."

Erph's face, very subtly, began to glow. He then rolled back over and continued to sleep.

"Then you better let me get some shut eye." He grunted. "I haven't been to school in ages."

Kammy smiled. He was grumpy, but even he couldn't hide his happiness completely. Kammy laid back, herself, placing her claws behind her head as she looked up at the bright blue sky.

'_Maybe…maybe it'll all work out alright.'_ She thought to herself.

'_It will.'_ Merlon's voice echoed in her head. _'It will.'_

* * *

**Respond with as much feedback as you can muster. It's been so long and I'd love to hear what readers, old and new, have to say. Thank you one and all, and expect the next chappie soon!**


	19. This is War

**I'm legitimately shocked that people still even remember this story haha. Two of you have just jumped back in like I haven't been gone for three years. That's unlike anything I've ever experienced, and I'm_ insanely_ grateful for StoryMaster64 and Sailor Taichichi Vegeta. You guys are freaking awesome!**

**This chapter is kinda rushed, and I regret it a little bit, but I also didn't want you guys to wait too long for another update. I'm trying to win back readership here haha and the best way to do that is update and update _often._**

**The only Author's Note I have here is a slight revision on Kammy's hometown. For longtime readers, you remember that at the beginning of the story I said Kammy and Shoshina were from Rogueport. Well, for the sake of this chapter, pretend that the city was actually called ROUGEport instead (_rouge_ instead of _rogue_). The reason will be obvious once you get to a certain part of this chappie, and I'm kicking myself for not thinking of this idea way back in 2006 haha.**

**Anyways, onto the 19th chapter!**

* * *

The boat flew at remarkable speeds, sailing high above the ocean for miles and miles. The white, feathered wings on the side of the boat created a slight gust of wind with every flap, blowing cool air into Kammy's face. She tried to sleep, really. But the excitement of what was coming wouldn't allow her to.

She looked at Erph, who was also lying down with his eyes closed, but she could tell he wasn't asleep either. He was just trying to shut the world out and have a moment to himself to gather his thoughts.

They were both anxious. Neither knew what awaited them once they reached the land. They did know, however, that they would need to be exceptionally careful. Whatever was waiting for them wasn't going to be easy to handle.

Suddenly, a large explosion hit the side of the boat, causing it to rock and sway. Kammy and Erph were up and alert instantly, struggling to keep from falling overboard. There was black smoke everywhere, preventing them from seeing anything, much less where the explosion came from.

"Missy!" Erph cried out.

"I'm here!" Kammy responded. "What happened?"

"Somethin' hit us!" he yelled. "On the larboard side!"

Her knowledge of sailor's terms still limited, Kammy ran struggled to look over the left side of the boat. There didn't seem to be any damage to the vessel itself (it _was_ created by Merlon, after all), yet that wasn't what concerned her. The black smoke was beginning to clear and she was slowly able to see the land below her.

It was almost a barren wasteland. There were hardly any buildings to speak of, only their crumbling remains. The ground was dark and rocky, smoke blanketing certain parts. There were…bodies. Some were moving, many weren't. There were fires and explosions and…she could hear faint screams…

"Where are we?" she shouted at Erph.

Erph struggled with his compass, then glanced at the map, then a variety of charts with the speed and expertise of a true sailor. After a few moments, he looked up at Kammy's blood-drained face.

"We're where Merlon sent us," he replied. "We're on Bycaster's campus."

Kammy froze. How could that be possible? Bycaster had the greenest of green grass, sidewalks and streets as white as snow, all matter of trees and flowers. It had fountains and ponds filled with crystal clear water, and it was constantly teeming with life. This…this was not Bycaster.

"Are you sure you read those things right?" he demanded. Erph gave her a nasty glance.

"I never read my charts wrong!" he shouted as he leaned over the side of the boat. "Why would you even think…"

His voice trailed off as he saw the carnage. His tanned face turned white as his eyes widened. He then shot Kammy a worried glance.

"I take it it didn't look like this three years ago?"

* * *

They landed the flying boat in one of the few standing trees a few miles away from Bycaster Castle. Kammy was forced to use an invisibility spell to keep themselves hidden as they landed, for there were snipers and soldiers everywhere, looking for anything strange in the skies to shoot down. Kammy and Erph climbed down the tree and began their walk to Bycaster.

"What if it's the Ashamed?" Kammy asked herself out loud. She was starting to panic. What if she missed her destiny? What if the Ashamed already conquered and she failed fate?

"If it is, then you better start rememberin' your training." Erph stated. Kammy almost chuckled in desperation. She had spent three years training with the wisest and most powerful wizard in the known world, and yet, at that moment, she could barely remember her own name. She was too terrified to think.

"We need to find Korallis." she finally said. "We find him, we get our answers."

Of course, that wasn't at all the only reason why she wanted to see the handsome Koopa again.

As Bycaster Castle grew closer and closer, Kammy started to hear more screams, more shouts, more explosions. She was walking into a battlefield, in the middle of a war. She couldn't prove it, but what else could it have been? That Bonetail thing Erph kept talking about? Or some sort of spell gone haywire? Zombies? Kammy couldn't believe any of that. It was a battle…though, by the looks of it, it was more like an…

"Invasion!"

Kammy heard the trembling voice before she saw who it belonged to: a frightened, bloody Raven, running frantically in their direction. Kammy, despite everything, recognized him.

"Pintell?" she cried out as she ran to him. It was him, Raphael Raven's friend, the one who accompanied her and Shoshina to Shiver City oh-so long ago. It was only when she got to him and grabbed his black, feathery shoulders did she notice that his left wing was missing, replaced with a bloody stub. His confident smirk and trademark quips were gone, shattered along with the rest of his body and spirit.

Pintell lifted his head and squinted his white eyes for a moment.

"L…Lady Kamilia?"

"I need you to relax, please." Kammy laid him down on the dry grass and rubbed the feathers on his head before removing her wand from her robes. "I'm going to stop the bleeding."

A flick of her wand caused fresh skin to cover the bloody hole in Pintell's side. Pintell sighed with slight relief as he observed the healing spell work its magic. He then leaned his head back onto the grass and shut his eyes.

"Kammy…" he asked slowly. "Where have you been?"

Kammy grabbed his right wing and stroked his head. Erph removed a canteen of fresh water from his pack and carried it over to Pintell's beak. Kammy struggled with her answer.

"I was…training. Overseas."

Pintell swallowed some of the water, then coughed up some blood.

"I heard…I heard you killed Ivy…" he muttered. "But I thought…no…not Kamilia Koopa…not the beautiful girl from Rougeport…"

"I didn't kill her," she quickly said. "You're right. I was framed. Do you know if anyone has admitted to it?"

Pintell didn't seem to hear Kammy, his eyes flickering open and closed, his beak open slightly, gasping for breath.

"Do you know what happened to Rougeport, Kamilia?" he asked breathily. "It was the first place…the first place to get hit. They came from the sky…and they hit Rougeport. It was hell on earth, Kamilia. Complete hell…"

Kammy suddenly turned white. Rougeport? Her hometown? It was…?

"Pintell," she started, grasping his face with both hands. "What happened to Rougeport? What was it hit by? Did everyone evacuate in time?"

"It…happened so fast." he stammered. "There was no time. I heard…there wasn't even enough time to scream. It just…happened…"

Tears flooded Kammy's eyes to the point of blindness. Her parents lived in Rougeport. Her childhood friends. Her closest confidants. They all lived in the lavish city of Rougeport, among the socialites and the celebrities. Now it was…was it really all…?

"They've been trying to rebuild…" Pintell coughed. "But looters and crooks have already made their way into the city, taking what they can…heh…some people are starting to call it _Rogue_port now…kind of clever, really…just switch the G and the U around and…"

Pintell then coughed up a great deal of blood, staining his chest feathers a dark violet color. Erph sat him up and tapped his back.

"Don't talk now, kid," he said, trying to get him to drink from the canteen some more.

But Kammy needed him to talk. She needed to know more.

"What happened to the students?" she demanded. "Where did everyone go? Did they evacuate the school?"

Pintell chuckled slightly before violently coughing some more. "No, no, no…we were recruited. Forced into battle. Outfitted with armor and what little magic we had…forced into the battlefield like slaves…in the chaos, Raphael and…the other Ravens…they flew away, retreated to a sanctuary known as…Yoshi Island. We Ravens…we do not fight, you see…so we ran…and we regret nothing…Gorr and I…fell behind. Gorr was blown to bits before my eyes…"

He was growing weaker, his eyes now slightly rolled to the back of his head, his speech mumbled and quiet, almost drowned out by the sounds of war in the background.

"Everyone else…fighting…now. The Wizard…left us…"

He grabbed the collar of Kammy's robes desperately and weakly, and struggled to force one of his eyes open to stare deep into hers.

"They're…unstoppable, Kammy. It's not…war…it's…slaughter."

Kammy felt his grip on her robes weaken, then completely vanish as his remaining wing fell to the blood-soaked ground. Pintell was dead.

Kammy reassessed everything he had just said, and a painfully clear realization came to her. Bycaster was no more. The students were being forced to the slaughter. The Great Wizard had abandoned his post as headmaster when everyone needed him the most. And there was an invasion occurring, something powerful trying to take over the land. Something so terrifying that Raphael and the Ravens retreated to an island in the middle of nowhere. Something so ruthless that they destroyed her entire city in one fell swoop. Something so dangerous that even Grendel didn't want to face them.

Her entire body shook as she realized what was happening. This was it. This attack on Bycaster, and the entire Crystal Kingdom, was her responsibility now, something only she could stop. And no amount of training could've prepared her for an invasion of this magnitude.

"Is it…?" Erph asked gently. Kammy nodded, trying to swallow that knot in her throat.

"It is," she finally said, trying to sound strong. "_This_ is the power of the Ashamed Army."

* * *

The entrance to Bycaster Castle was empty, save for some fallen Clubbas and a few Koopas crying in a corner. Kammy and Erph were able to walk in without anybody noticing…or caring, Kammy couldn't tell which. Perhaps it was because, to them, they looked like a student and a professor. Or maybe it was because the soldiers only had their eyes peeled for members of the Ashamed, of which Kammy and Erph were clearly were not.

The halls, which were at one point brightly lit and teeming with life, were now dull and dirty and almost lifeless. Many candles were out and the sunlight was blocked due to grime and blood on the windows. Dirt covered the floors to the point where Kammy wasn't sure if there even was a floor anymore, and broken wands, shields, and swords were scattered every which way.

She passed a few rooms, which were filled with soldiers looking over battle strategies. Others were being used as hospital rooms, the torturous sound of agonizing screams filling her ears and echoing throughout the hallways. She saw one Koopa who appeared to be a general, walking the opposite direction of her and Erph, talking quickly with a Lakitu about matters which she could not understand. The entire school had been transformed into a base of operations for the Crystal Kingdom army…

As Kammy and Erph travelled deeper and deeper into the school, and the sounds of war and all signs of life disappeared behind them, another thing Kammy noticed more than anything else were the posters hanging on the walls. There had to have been one large, yellowing poster for every ten feet in this hallway, each one displaying a painting of the Crystal King. There was writing on the poster, but they were all so dirty or burned that she couldn't make out what any of the words said.

"Do you think they're supposed to be inspirational posters from the King?" she asked Erph as they walked along the dirty halls. "Perhaps positive propaganda to get them motivated to fight the Ashamed?"

Erph stared at a poster as he walked by.

"Nah, looks to me like it's more of a wanted poster," he replied coolly. This caught Kammy by surprise.

"A wanted poster?" she asked. "For the King? That seems a little silly…why would the King be wanted? For breaking one of his own laws?"

"Just tellin' it as I see it." Erph said.

They continued walking, looking for any signs of life. Throughout that entire hallway, there were none to be found.

"Is it usually this depressing?" Erph asked, break the silence, his voice echoing ever so slightly in those hallowed halls. Kammy shook her head.

"It never looked like this," she replied. "It's haunting. There was always _someone_ running to try and make it to class before the bell. Always _someone_ having a laugh at some joke. Always-"

Kammy silenced herself as she heard, in the distance, the sound of someone fiddling with a doorknob, as if trying to get it open.

"This way!" she cried as she ran in the direction of the sound. She could've been crazy, she could've been hearing things. This castle is old, and now it's breaking down with every passing minute due to this invasion, so it could've been the wind for all she knew. Or it could've been one of the Ashamed, trying to break in…

Instead, when Kammy and Erph rounded a corner, they saw an older Koopa on her knees, clawing at a door, trying desperately to open it. One of the lenses in her glasses was cracked.

"Professor Emmera!"

The older Koopa froze upon hearing those words. She turned around slowly, her eyes bug-eyed in fear. When her glance met with Kammy's, she began to panic and, after struggling to get up from the ground, tried to run away.

Kammy didn't have time for this. She knew that Emmera knew the Black Thunder spell, so she must've known who fired it at Ivy. Kammy unleashed a tiny yellow bolt from her wand, firing it at Emmera's feet, causing her to trip and hit the ground hard. Kammy walked over to her fallen body, which was now trembling, and rolled it over to see Emmera's face. Blood trickled out of Emmera's nose as she gazed up at Kammy.

"L-L-Lady Kamilia," she stammered. "What a surprise."

Erph walked up beside Kammy.

"This the broad who accused you of murder?" he asked. Kammy nodded, her eyes filled with rage, her brows so furrowed that she risked her own vision. She didn't care. This was the woman who had ruined her life, she knew it.

"W-What are you doing here?" Emmera gasped.

Kammy threw herself down to her knees and forced her wand onto Emmera's throat. The old professor started choking almost immediately, clawing at the ground as she struggled for air.

"I know you know the identity of Ivy's killer!" Kammy yelled. "You and every other professor in this school knew the Black Thunder spell! That's probably the only reason Bycaster isn't in ruins by now, isn't it? The Ashamed can't even reach the castle without being blown to bits by you and the rest of the faculty!"

Emmera's eyes continued to widen as Kammy spoke, until she almost resembled a frog.

"You know I didn't kill Ivy! I couldn't have! You needed me out of the way for something." She pressed her wand harder against Emmera's fragile neck. "What was it?"

"You…you don't understand…" Emmera gasped.

"Missy, ease up, she's tryin' to speak!" Erph shouted. It took all of Kammy's willpower to release the pressure from Emmera's neck, and even then she grabbed Emmera's claws with one hand and pinned them above her head so she couldn't attack.

"Talk!" Kammy demanded.

Emmera tried clearing her throat before speaking, though her voice was still gravelly and hoarse.

"We needed you out of the way, Lady Kamilia." Emmera began, speaking quickly and almost crazed. "It was strictly The Great Wizard's plan. He, he needed you gone. But then the Human came, see? And then the Ashamed. And…it all happened so fast…"

As she spoke, her wand began slowly levitating out of her robes. Kammy's eyes were so focused on Emmera's, her attention so focused on answers, that she didn't notice.

"One thing I can say, with all sincerity, Lady Kamilia…is that it wasn't supposed to happen this way."

Kammy tightened her grip on Emmera's claws.

"Tell me now, Emmera," Kammy said darkly. "Who. Killed. Ivy?"

Emmera grinned.

"I'm sorry," she hissed. "I'm afraid that lesson is going to have to wait for another class!"

Quick as a flash, Emmera's wand flew out of her robes and into her claws. With strength that Kammy didn't know she had, Emmera forced herself free of Kammy's grip and leapt to her feet, pointing her wand at Kammy.

Kammy had been trained for this. Within miliseconds, her own wand was in her hands and a red streak of magical energy erupted out of its tip and hit Emmera with an explosive force. The old professor flew backwards, sliding on the tile floor, dead.

Kammy instantly cursed at herself. She didn't think properly. She should've used a time-freezing spell, or a paralysis spell on Emmera. She shouldn't have killed her. She still needed answers. She was just so angry and vengeful at the old witch…

Erph walked over to Kammy, who stood almost completely still.

"Do you think she really knew?" he asked. "Or do you think she was just bluffing?"

"Hard to tell with Emmera," Kammy replied coldly. She then turned around and continued walking down the empty corridor.

"It doesn't matter now," she said matter-of-factly. "Emmera's dead. There's only so many other people who would know the answer to Ivy's death, and I doubt I'll find them soon enough."

Erph looked at her, puzzled.

"So…what's your plan of action now then, Missy?"

Without turning around so Erph could see the fear slowly growing in her face that she was desperately trying to hide, Kammy replied, "I'm going to visit the student army. I need to begin fulfilling my destiny. I need to defeat the Ashamed."

* * *

**Read and respond, you lovely and wonderful folks! I'll try to keep updating as often as I can. I can see the end of this story in sight, but there's still a long ways to go.**


	20. Kamilia's Army

**Here's the next chapter. I'm excited that I'm hearing from some old friends. It's awesome being back!**

**In response to longtime reader L. Damarik Laizare's responses...hey, dude! Nice to hear from you, and I'm sorry that the "epic comeback" wasn't longer. The two most recent chapters were originally one big chapter, but I decided to split them up for reasons I can't explain.**

**Anyways, thank you everyone for still reading. As I said before, the ending is in sight, so just stick with me a little while longer.**

**And enjoy!**

* * *

"Missy!" Erph shouted as he waddled after her. "The castle is in ruin. There's a war goin' on right outside! We don't even know where the student army is, or even if they're still alive!"

Kamilia took large, quick steps and she marched to one of the many exits of the school. She had a determination about her, adrenaline pulsing through her entire body. She just killed her old professor, and she was not above killing anyone else for answers. She was no longer a student here. She was a soldier.

She kicked one of the heavy wooden doors wide open, knocking a guard on the other side hard to the ground. Standing there, in heavy armor, were five…no, six soldiers. Kamilia was unable to identify their species due to their armor, but each was equipped with a broadsword, a bow, and a large quiver of arrows. She could see a tiny insignia adorning their armor: the crest of the Crystal King.

Kammy stood there, right in front of them, frozen. Erph didn't move. Finally, Kammy broke the silence.

"Hello," she started. "Can you tell me where the-"

Suddenly, swords were drawn. Arrows were swiftly removed from quivers and fired Kammy and Erph. One flew right past Kammy's head, slicing through a few strands of her silver hair.

She didn't have time for this.

She fired two red bolts from her wand, which made contact with two of the arrow-firing soldiers, knocking them to the ground. She tackled a soldier up against the wall and placed her wand up against his helmet.

"Missy!"

Kamilia sensed a strong, heavy body behind her, and ducked out of the way just in time to see a soldier accidentally slice through his own comrade. She then kicked him hard on the knee, popping it out of place, forcing him to the ground. Kammy stood up and blasted another red bolt into his face.

Another soldier had an arrow in his bow, strung back, ready to fire. Kamilia readied her wand, ready to fire another deadly attack, when suddenly she felt a powerful blow to her back. Another soldier, unarmed, had just punched her. Hard.

She staggered for a millisecond, giving the archer just enough time to fire. Kammy had been trained in this, however, and threw herself to the ground just in time to see the arrow fly over her head and into the chest of the unarmed soldier.

The archer, now visibly worried even through his helmet, started quickly trying to arm his bow again. However, before he could, Kammy ran up to him and forced him up against a wall, her wand to the side of his head. She ripped his helmet off to reveal the terrified face of a young Clubba.

"Please!" he screamed, as if he was going to cry at any moment. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"I don't give a Mouser's ass if you're sorry." Kammy replied. "The student army. Where is it?"

The Clubba was turning a sickly shade of green before Kammy's eyes.

"Who…who are you?" he stammered.

"I'm the one who killed your entire infantry without breaking a sweat," she said through clenched teeth. "And trust me when I say that I'm not afraid to kill again."

She forced her wand harder against his temple, drawing tears.

"Now I'm going to ask you one more time, and one more time only," she continued. "Where is the student army?"

The Clubba, nearly sobbing now, pointed toward a large building off on the other side of the campus.

"T-T-They've been r-relocated to the g-g-gymnasium!" he cried.

Kammy glared at him for a moment, to make sure that this information was correct, before casting a memory-erasing spell on the trembling Clubba. If anyone were to ask him who killed all of his fellow soldiers, she didn't want him to know. In fact, she didn't want anybody to know she was here except for her former peers.

As she briskly walked to the gymnasium building, stepping over the wounded and the dead, Erph kept a safe distance.

"M…Missy?" he said softly. Kamilia was barely able to hear him over the sounds of war in the distance, but she turned her head to look at him.

"You're actin' a bit…strange," he continued. "Cold. Ye alright?"

Kammy clenched her fists, but kept her cool. She breathed in slowly through her nose.

"I just killed someone, Erph," she spit out. "I just killed _six_ people. I'm a little on edge right now, but that's what will keep me alive. I need to think, _act_ like a soldier. I can't hesitate, I can't compromise. I need to fight in order to win this thing."

"But," Erph shifted his weight uncomfortably. "You don't want to lose yourself either."

Kammy stormed up to Erph, towering over him like a monster, her violet cape blowing in the warm wind.

"It's my destiny to do this, Erph!" she exclaimed. "_I_ need to win this war!_ I_ do! It's myjob! I need to win it by any means necessary or else I'll…"

Erph saw a tear build up in her eye.

"Or else I'll…I don't know! I don't know how fate works! I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

The tear then slid down her cheek as her voice started to shake, her lower lip quivering.

"I don't know…what I'm supposed to do…"

Kamilia then dropped to her knees, the gravel and dirt digging into her legs, and she started to bawl. Erph stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to do. In all these years, he had never seen Kamilia cry. But there she was, smack dab in the middle of a battleground, shaking like a child, sobbing.

Erph finally walked over to her and rested his head on her shaky shoulder.

"Kammy," he said. "You don't have to do anything. No one is expecting you to do something you cannot handle. But I've seen you grow from a girl to a woman, and there is one thing about you that's never changed: your bravery."

Kamilia tried to stop her crying, but there was a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes that wouldn't quit. She rubbed her eyes with one claw and sniffled a tiny bit.

"You've trained with the strongest wizard in the world," Erph continued. "You left everything you knew and jumped onto a boat headed towards God knows where. You fought off pirates, you returned to a castle that wrongfully accused you of murder…hell, the very fact that you attended Bycaster University in the first place is an act of bravery."

Kammy stared at Erph, listening to his every word, tears still dripping down her face.

"War is…well, it's hard," he said. "But it's here. It's something you need to face now. And after years of watching you fight with every ounce of strength you have inside of you, I refuse to believe that you cannot overcome this. As you surely know by now, pain is inevitable. But suffering? That's your choice."

The last tear fell from her cheek into her robes. She wiped her nose and sighed, giving Erph a big smile.

"You're good at those," she chuckled.

Erph looked at the ground, frowning, but Kamilia could see him blush.

"Yeah, well," he muttered. "Someone needed to get you back in the fighting spirit."

Kammy finally stood up and faced the gymnasium building again. This was doable. Possible. She could win this.

* * *

The entrance to the gymnasium was blocked by two heavily armed soldiers, who Kammy could only assume were Clubbas. As she and Erph hid behind a dying tree, she knew that she needed a way past them. It would've been easy to kill them, but that was unnecessary. A stun spell could've worked, or even an invisibility spell. She needed to plan this carefully, however, for each of the soldiers was holding a battle horn. She wanted to attract as little attention as possible. She needed to talk to the student army and prepare them for battle, completely in private.

"OK, here's my plan," she finally whispered. "I'm going to turn us invisible and…"

Her voice trailed off as her heart stopped. Erph wasn't next to her. He wasn't anywhere.

"Erph!" she whispered loudly. Her breathing started getting faster and choppy, her eyes darting every which way looking for the old Goomba. Where was he? Taken prisoner? Did he die? Abducted by the Ashamed? The horrible possibilities were endless, and Kammy really wouldn't be able to handle any of them.

As she panicked behind the tree, she heard the faint sound of crashing armor. She quickly turned her attention back to the entrance of the gymnasium, where the two soldiers were laying on the ground, completely out cold, Erph standing next to them, slightly out of breath. She sighed with relief as she ran over to him.

"You scared me to death, you crazy old Goomba!" she shouted at him. He glared at her.

"You were doing too much talkin'," he replied. "I used to be a man of action myself, ya know."

They slowly opened the door to the gym, which let out an ear-piercing creak that echoed throughout the entire building. If there were any guards inside, they would've automatically known about their entrance.

Fortunately, there were no guards, but what Kammy and Erph did see caused their jaws to drop. The entire gym was filled to the brim with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Koopas. Most of them were young, their faces dirty and covered in blood and fear. Some were even younger than Kammy was during her first year at Bycaster; they looked as if they were primary school Koopalings. There were others who looked old enough to be members of the faculty, and others still who Kammy even recognized from some of her old classes. So many Koopas…not a single Raven, Goomba, Blooper, or even Lakitu in sight.

They were all murmuring to each other, questioning their future and the war, until Kammy opened the door. Then they all stopped and stared at her, each and every one, their eyes wide with curiosity and fear.

"Great stars…" Erph muttered. Kammy stared back at her species, caged up like animals to be led to the slaughter. After a moment, she cleared her throat.

"Hello, everyone," she began, her loud voice trembling somewhat. "My name is-"

"Kamilia?" someone shouted from the crowd. Kammy blinked, confused as to who could've possibly remembered her…and then she remembered Korallis. She scanned the crowd, looking for the source of the voice, hoping beyond hope it was him. Instead, her eyes landed on a Koopa around her age.

And one of Ivy's old friends.

Kammy gulped quietly.

"You dare show your face here?" the girl yelled. "After what you did to Ivy?"

"'Ey!" Erph shouted. "This young missy here didn't do what she's been accused of! So you better keep your mouth shut and listen to what she has to say!"

"Why should we listen to a murderer?"

Suddenly, the gymnasium exploded with whispers and murmurs again. Koopalings hid behind the older Koopas, the men reaching for their bows. Kammy became terrified. She was losing the audience she was trying to protect.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please!" she begged. "Please just calm down for a moment and listen to me!"

But they didn't. The audience started getting louder until Kammy feared a riot would start. Suddenly, there was a loud BANG that exploded from the back of the audience. Everyone was instantly silent.

"Everyone shut up and listen to her!"

Everyone turned their attention to a dashing Koopa with blue hair and muscles that would've made any woman swoon. He wore a cloak around his armor. He looked a tiny bit like Korallis, but Kammy could instantly tell that he wasn't. He walked up to Kammy, stared at her for a moment, and then turned to face the audience.

"My name is Koopley," he announced boldly. "You may know me as the Wizard's former assistant."

Kammy's eyes widened.

"I've heard the old man say things about this Kammy Koopa," he continued. "About how she's dangerous, how she must be stopped."

Erph groaned. This guy clearly wasn't helping them win over the audience.

"However," he continued. "That sorry old man abandoned us! Threw in his allegiance to the new King. Is that a man we can really trust?"

Kammy and Erph exchanged confused glances. _'New king?'_

"I say we hear this young woman out!" Koopley finished, resulting in a small round of applause from the audience. Koopley stepped back and looked at Kammy.

"They're all yours, kid," he said. His muscles were huge, his face strong and handsome. Was this really Korallis in disguise? Kammy tried to clear those thoughts from her head and she faced the audience yet again.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly, before clearing her throat for the second time. "As I was saying, my name is Kamilia Koopa. I have been training with the great, wise wizard Merlon for three years and I have come to aid the Crystal Kingdom in this war."

This piqued the audiences interest, and Kammy took the opportunity and ran with it.

"I first need to know…why are there only Koopas here?"

There was a long pause, no Koopa wishing to speak out of fear. Finally, Koopley spoke.

"Our fellow students have all fallen," he responded grimly. Kammy's eyes widened as she stared at him in awe.

"All of them?" she questioned. "The Goombas, the Lakitus…?"

Koopley nodded his head. Kammy turned to the thousands of Koopas in the gym, who were now staring at the floor in sadness. Even Erph was starting to grow very uncomfortable. Kammy felt a lump in her throat, but she swallowed it before continuing.

"W-Well…" she started. "We are a resilient people. Our shells can't be penetrated easily. This is our advantage in this war."

"That's what the Wizard said," a small, anonymous voice responded from the crowd. Kammy furrowed her brows.

"Forget about the Wizard!" she shouted. "This is not his war! This is a war for all of Het Naamkaartje! A war for _our_ land, not his!"

Erph and Koopley nodded their heads.

"So we will fight until our last breath to keep our home safe from these invaders!" Kammy continued. "And we won't hide in our shells until the very last Ashamed soldier is gone forever!"

The audience burst into cheers, clapping and shouting. Erph nudged her leg encouragingly as Koopley grinned at her courage.

"Now what kind of artillery do we have?" she asked the crowd.

"Only swords, hammers, and bows, Miss!" a voice shouted. Kammy frowned and shook her head.

"Our enemies have advanced weapons," she said. "Handhelds cannons that fire bursts of energy and light."

"Weapons," Koopley continued. "That are fueled by incredibly-powerful artifacts called The Stars. I've never seen anything like them. There is nothing in this entire nation that can even rival that power. As lon as they have those Stars, we don't stand a chance."

Kammy didn't know about these "Stars." This news changed her entire strategy. She couldn't just defeat the Ashamed anymore. She needed to separate them from their power source.

"We need something explosive," she announced. "Something that can damage their weapons and force them away from their Stars. Does anyone have any ideas?"

Again, the audience was silent, but this time not out of fear. Instead, they were deep in thought. Finally, Koopley ran to a room at the back of the gymnasium and, a few moments later, reemerged with a large wagon. Inside the wagon were black spheres the size of their shells. He wheeled the wagon up to the front of the building and looked at Kammy.

"We have these," he said. "They're a special type of bomb that can be reused over and over again. Their casings are almost impenetrable, and they're filled with gunpowder and gigaformoparacine, which allows them to emit an explosion over and over without actually exploding. The only problem with that is, once we throw them at the Ashamed, there is nothing stopping those bastards from throwing them back."

Kammy thought back to that chemical: _gigaformoparacine_. Merlon had told her about it. He referred to it as _"Giga."_ He said there was barely enough on the entire planet, much less available to her. Yet, there it was, right in front of her…hidden inside an impenetrable bomb.

"Koopley," she said excitedly. "Is there any more Giga in the school?" Koopley rubbed his chin.

"There's a small vial in the school lab…but it would be impossible to get to it at this point. There are soldiers everywhere, and some people even claim to have seen ghosts in the school."

Kammy chuckled under her breath.

"OK, you need to stay here and start training these Koopas with their swords," she ordered. "You're a strong Koopa, I'm sure you know how to use one. Erph and I are going to get that Giga."

"OK, but…why?" he asked. Kammy grabbed his shoulder and pulled his ear close to her mouth.

"Because Giga isn't just a never-ending fuse used in bombs," she whispered. "It can also grant temporary immortality."

Koopley's eyes widened, as did Erph's. Knowing that every single Goomba on campus had been wiped out, he needed all the reassurance he could get.

"For how long?" Erph asked anxiously.

"It depends on the person," Kammy replied. "A few hours to an entire day. But it only takes a drop. Any more and the results, according to Merlon, could be monstrous. That one vial alone should cover everyone in this gymnasium. With it, we should be able to tip this war over in our favor."

Koopley and Erph smiled.

"OK," Koopley said, his blood pumping faster. "You go do what you gotta do. I'll train these guys."

Kammy nodded at her new ally and dashed for the door, Erph by her side. Suddenly, however, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared back at Koopley.

"Hey," she said, causing the muscular Koopa to turn around and face her. "You said you were the Wizard's assistant?"

"Yeah," he responded. "Well, I was. For the past three years."

Kammy's heart sank.

"Um…what about Korallis?"

Koopley's face dropped as he stared at Kammy's sad face.

"Kamilia," he said slowly. "I haven't heard that name in years. Honestly, I don't think anybody knows what happened to him."

Kammy looked deep into his eyes, hoping to see that he was lying or maybe even telling a sick joke. But the truth was right there on Koopley's face. Korallis was gone. Koopley walked over to Kamilia and put a claw on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I know what it's like to lose someone. I have a Koopaling and two eggs at home and no wife to care for them. I have no clue how I'm going to cope."

He wiped a tear from Kammy's face.

"But maybe that's why we're here," he said, sending goose bumps along Kammy's arm, taking her breath away. "To tackle that sort of thing together?"

Kammy blushed. She hadn't felt this way in years. It had been so long since she'd seen a man like Koopley, a man so handsome and strong, yet respectable and kind. He reminded her so much of Korallis, the dashing Koopa who had sent her away. Only this man was different: he was a handsome Koopa who was welcoming her. Her heart was torn.

Koopley looked down at the golden mushroom talisman hanging from her robes. He tapped it with his claw.

"I've heard the Wizard claiming he was looking for something similar to that," the young Koopa said. "Said the new king needs it for something. Do you know if they're talking about yours?"

Kammy finally looked away from the man's face and down at the golden mushroom. She smiled.

"All I know is that it's supposed to bring me luck," she replied, looking back at him. "And I think it already has."

Erph groaned.

"Come on, you, we've got a potion to find!" he shouted as he tugged at her robed with his mouth.

* * *

**Cockblocked by an old Goomba. Haven't we all been there? **

**Anyways, after the mysterious and out-of-left-field introduction to the infamous "Giga" in this chapter, the next couple of chapters will include plenty of other origins and revelations. If you're a Mario fan, or just curious, you'll want to stick around.**

**Also, I'm very sorry if some of these chapters are lacking in quality. I'm making a short film, working, running a blog, and going to school. I'm trying my best to deliver some awesome stuff, but at the same time I just want to get this story done, you know? I'll continue to try my best to write the best chapters I can, but if I end up writing one or two that just absolutely suck...well, that's why.**

**Read and respond, friends! Expect the next chapter soon(ish)!**


	21. The Consequences of a Soul

**So, for whatever reason, this chapter was so frustrating for me to write. It will no doubt show as you read it, and I apologize for that.**

**Many thanks to StoryMaster64 and Gijinka Renamon for responding to the last chapter...over a year ago...man, I'm certainly taking you guys for a rollercoaster ride with this stupid story. I feel like George R. R. Martin, only without the talent and money. I'm really sorry that I haven't attempted to speed up the process, but [insert tried and true excuse here].  
**

**We get a fun little origin story in this spirited chapter, though, so..._that's_ something!**

* * *

"So I'm gonna ask ye one more time," Erph grumbled. "You're sure the lab is this way?"

They were making good progress, all things considering. It took Kamilia a while to remember where the Bycaster laboratory was, but after getting turned around six different times, she managed to get back on the right track. She thought this building was confusing when it was filled with noisy students. It was even more enormous and baffling with the halls completely bare. The ghastly emptiness sent a faint shiver down Kamilia's shell.

"I'm positive this time, Erph," Kamilia replied stubbornly. "Now keep your eyes open for it."

They continued in silence, observing every door they passed for any sign of the lab. They carefully stepped over debris and holes in the floor, no doubt caused by a battle that occurred here weeks before. Lining the walls, still, were the posters of the king. His repeated gaze made Kamilia uncomfortable and nervous, and she was relieved when Erph finally broke the silence.

"So this Koopley fella," he muttered. Kammy blinked.

"What about him?" she asked.

"Can we trust him?

Kammy hesitated before answering.

"Well, what choice do I have?" she responded. "We Koopas seem to be the only ones left on campus, and we need to stick together. Koopley seems like a strong soldier and tactician, and he's even more familiar with the layout of the school than I am." She paused before saying, "In retrospect, he should've gone to the lab instead of us…"

"But Missy," Erph interrupted. "Emmera was also a Koopa. So is Grendel."

Kamilia felt her heart skip beats as she took in this information. Erph was right. This is war. As much as she would love to rally an army of her own species and win the battle while simultaneously proving to the world how strong Koopas are, she also knew that the battlefield was filled with desperate men. Yes, Emmera was dead, but she was hardly a soldier. Even if she was Grendel's right-hand woman at Bycaster, she couldn't mean less to him once the Ashamed attacked. Apparently he's thrown his lot in with the "new king" now…

And that was another baffling question nagging at Kammy's mind. The "new king"? What happened to the old one? Did his mysterious new Human bride do something to him? And, most importantly, who took his place?

Kammy knew deep down that the past three years of her life were spent wisely, training for this exact war she was now deep in, but she couldn't help but think they were also wasted. If she wasn't so isolated from civilization, she might have known what had happened at Bycaster before the Ashamed attacked. If she were here, or even back in Rougeport…

Oh, wait. "Rogueport" now. And if she were there, she would've been killed, along with everyone else who lived there…

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Nothing could've prevented this. She certainly couldn't have. She wasn't prepared. Had she been anywhere else besides Flipside Isle, she would most certainly be dead by now.

But now she was prepared. She was prepared to throw herself into this battle that she was destined to fight. Not yet ready…but prepared.

"'ere it is," Erph grunted, nodding his head towards a door.

Shattered glass crunched beneath their feet as Kammy and Erph cautiously entered the ruined laboratory, black smoke almost immediately filling their lungs. Kammy's eyes burned as she squinted her eyes, blinking away tears caused by the fumes. The cackle of fire could be heard in the corner of the room. It was impossible to see…

Suddenly, she saw something move in the smoke. She gasped slightly, breathing in even more smoke and violently coughing it back up. She looked back for the figure.

Nothing.

Was her mind playing tricks on her? Was she exhausted to the point where she was starting to see things? This laboratory did house an array of different potions; maybe she was breathing in something hallucinogenic or mind-altering? She closed her eyes tightly, pressed her cape to her face, and took a couple of short, filtered breaths. Her mind wasn't swimming. Her brain wasn't seeing things. She was fine…

A sudden high-pitched cackle made her jump, an otherworldly giggle that would've send a shiver down the Devil's spine.

"Erph?" Kammy shouted into the dark clouds. There was a distant, muffled response from her Goomba friend, not enough to calm her pounding heart. They weren't alone in the laboratory.

Kammy got down to her hands and knees in an attempt to see better beneath the rising smoke. Tiny shards of glass pierced her palms and knees as she shuffled along the ground, coughing occasionally, keeping an eye out for Erph, and whatever else was in there with them. What she was forced to see, instead, were the fallen, mutilated bodies of science students.

A young Lakitu lady who has fallen from her Cloud and broken her neck. A Raven boy with a gaping, bloody hole in his chest the size of her head. The fiery remains of a Noki student. Perhaps the most gut-wrenching of them all, however, was the bloody remains of an empty Koopa shell.

Still crawling through the carnage, Kammy could no longer distinguish between the tears streaming down her cheeks caused by the smoke, and the ones squeezed out of her by sadness. Something happened in this place…what could've possibly caused such bloodshed? Then the horrible thought entered her mind: What if whoever had done this was looking for the Giga? What if they already had it?

What if they were still here, looking for it?

Another horrible cackle. Another movement in the smoke. And another.

"Missy!?"

'_Dammit, Erph, shut up!'_ Kammy screamed in her head. If the culprit was still in this room, they couldn't risk getting caught. She turned around to look for Erph at ground level. After blinking away her tears and wiping away what little smoke she could, she spotted him behind some tables.

Whatever was in the room was surely going to respond to Erph's cry. Kammy crawled as fast as she could through the chaos, her clothes getting torn and ripped in the glass, stained by the blood, her white hair slowly turning light tan in color due to the smoke.

"Heeheehee…!"

She felt goose bumps crawl all over her skin as she jumped. That laugh…it was right behind her. Right in her ear. There was a tug at her dress. A few strands of hair yanked. The laughing grew louder in her ears. Kammy's heart pounded as she struggled through the glass and the gore, just underneath the thick layer of smoke. Whatever was in the room with them was toying with her.

"…some people even claim to have seen ghosts in the school…"

Erph, growing fed up with whatever game Kamilia was playing, drew in his breath and prepared to shout her name once more, when a claw pressed firmly against his mouth, silencing him.

"Shhh!" Kammy hissed in his ear. "There's something in there."

Erph pushed himself away, hardly able to breathe as it was.

"That what caused ye to giggle like ye did?" he demanded. Kammy shook her head, scanning the smoke for any more movement.

"No, that wasn't me," she whispered. "I heard it, too. Whatever it was pulled at my hair, ripped my dress…it was playing with me. I don't know what it was, but I think it's still-"

"Here!"

The sudden voice made both Kammy and Erph jump a mile into the air, gasping violently as they turned to face the direction of the grave sound. The smoke twisted and turned, a calm, miniature tornado forming in the center of the room. Whatever was at the center acted as a sort of drain, forcing the smoke out of the room through the open door, revealing even more of the turmoil in the laboratory. Beakers bubbling over, mirrors and windows shattered, enormous holes in the brick walls, and, yes, a small, dying fire in the far corner of the room.

But the most obvious, and terrifying, revelation was that of a small, pale Noki floating in the middle of the room. She was white, practically transparent, and her face was fixed in permanent sadness.

"Egads…" Erph shivered, ever the superstitious one. "It _is_ a ghost!"

Kammy once again covered the old Goomba's mouth.

"Miss?" she asked softly.

The ghostly Noki was carefully looking all around the room, as if keeping her eye on something dangerous.

"what you are seeking is in my pocket…" the ghost said in a voice soft from being torn between dimensions. "take it and go…quickly…i can't watch them all at once…"

Confused, Kammy tried to spot what the ghost was watching so intently, but saw nothing. Maybe a puff of remaining smoke, or a few tricks of the light, but nothing that seemed out of place. Nothing that seemed dangerous, and especially nothing alive. Sadly, everything in the room, save for her and Erph ("Do ghosts count as being alive in this circumstance?" she asked herself) was dead.

Suddenly, she saw it. For but a moment, but she saw it. A small, white orb, floating over the body of a crushed Goomba. Eyes as red as blood, a gaping mouth filled to the brim with the sharpest of teeth, a twisted tongue dripping with otherworldly slime. More ghosts? But these seemed more vicious. More…evil.

"their souls were ripped out of them…" the ghost explained, as if reading Kammy's thoughts. "they were slaughtered too quickly…they didn't have time to die in peace…like i did…"

Erph nudged Kammy and motioned toward the body of a fallen Noki. It was the ghost girl…her body, anyway. Kammy slowly stood up, careful to avoid any devilish white orbs as she creeped over to the corpse.

"So they're cursed?" she whispered to the ghost girl.

"they are…" the fallen Noki responded. "doomed to roam this plane of existence for eternity…thus is the fate of any fallen creature who dies too soon…"

Kammy looked back to Erph for a brief moment as she continued tiptoeing to the Noki's body. He was still cowering behind a desk, saying prayers.

"Why aren't they attacking us?" she asked? The ghost girl continued spinning in circles, keeping her eyes locked on as many of these spirits as she could. It almost made Kammy dizzy.

"they are ashamed…of what they have become…can't you see…?"

Kammy looked at one of the ghosts the ghost girl locked eyes with. It had sprouted tiny hands, and was using them to cover its face. Kammy cocked her head.

"Why? Aren't they ghosts? Cursed demon spirits?"

"no…they retain their memories…but a hunger for flesh and blood…it takes them over…"

Kammy felt shivers as she bent down to the Noki girl's corpse, still warm. There was a large shard of glass stabbed into her stomach. She certainly didn't die quickly…

"to die…but not be dead…"

Kammy felt around in the body's clothes. Quickly, and with much care. The disgust almost overwhelmed her.

"to remember…but unable to control…"

Finally, Kamilia felt a large vial in one of the Noki's inner pockets. Long, filled to the brim with green liquid. No label, but there was no disguising such a potion. The Giga.

"to become a monster…thus is their fate…"

Standing up very carefully, Kamilia gripped the vial tightly in her claws and slowly made her way back to the front of the laboratory. She grabbed Erph on her way out, shoving him outside, as to avoid the ghost causing him any more distress. Kammy was on her way out when she stopped and looked back at the floating Noki girl.

"Miss," she asked. "What is your name?"

The Noki stopped spinning for a moment, looking at Kamilia with unbearable sadness, until she heard the cackle of a white orb. She turned and looked him dead in its red eyes, causing it to cover its face and float away.

"brilette…" she responded.

"Brilette…what happened here?"

Brilette, the ghost girl, continued spinning, keeping the other ghosts in line, and muttered a single word that haunted Kammy more than any creature in that entire room.

"power…"

* * *

**Chapter 22 should be up sometime this week. I promise!**


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